Learning from History the Nashville Sit-In Campaign with Joanne Sheehan

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Learning from History the Nashville Sit-In Campaign with Joanne Sheehan Building a Culture of Peace Forum Learning From History The Nashville Sit-In Campaign with Joanne Sheehan Thursday, January 12, 2017 photo: James Garvin Ellis 7 to 9 pm (please arrive by 6:45 pm) Unitarian Universalist Church Free and 274 Pleasant Street, Concord NH 03301 Open to the Public Starting in September, 1959, the Rev. James Lawson began a series of workshops for African American college students and a few allies in Nashville to explore how Gandhian nonviolence could be applied to the struggle against racial segregation. Six months later, when other students in Greensboro, NC began a lunch counter sit-in, the Nashville group was ready. The sit- As the long-time New in movement launched the England Coordinator for Student Nonviolent Coordinating the War Resisters League, and as former Chair of War James Lawson Committee, which then played Photo: Joon Powell Resisters International, crucial roles in campaigns such Joanne Sheehan has decades as the Freedom Rides and Mississippi Freedom Summer. of experience in nonviolence training and education. Among those who attended Lawson nonviolence trainings She is co-author of WRI’s were students who would become significant leaders in the “Handbook for Nonviolent Civil Rights Movement, including Marion Barry, James Bevel, Campaigns.” Bernard Lafayette, John Lewis, Diane Nash, and C. T. Vivian. For more information please Fifty-six years later, Joanne Sheehan uses the Nashville contact LR Berger, 603 496 1056 Campaign to help people learn how to develop and participate in strategic nonviolent campaigns which are more The Building a Culture of Peace Forum is sponsored by Pace e than protests, and which call for different roles and diverse Bene/Campaign Nonviolence, contributions. NH Peace Action, AFSC-NH, and The workshop will feature a 30 minute film, “Nashville: We Concord UU Church. Were Warriors,” from the series, “A Force More Powerful.”.
Recommended publications
  • 15 Lc 108 0380 Hr
    15 LC 108 0380 House Resolution 957 By: Representatives Smyre of the 135th, Mosby of the 83rd, and Williams of the 168th A RESOLUTION 1 Honoring the life and memory of Marion Barry; and for other purposes. 2 WHEREAS, the State of Georgia mourns the loss of a great Civil Rights leader and public 3 servant with the passing of Marion Barry; and 4 WHEREAS, Marion Barry was born on March 6, 1936, in Itta Bena, Mississippi; and 5 WHEREAS, he earned a degree in chemistry from LeMoyne College in 1958, and while 6 earning his graduate degree in chemistry at Fisk University he organized a campus chapter 7 of the NAACP; and 8 WHEREAS, he was one of the student leaders who met with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 9 1960 to establish the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and he was elected that 10 organization's first national chairman; and 11 WHEREAS, Marion Barry was elected mayor of Washington, D.C., in 1978, 1982, 1986, 12 and 1994, and during his tenure, he transformed that city from a jurisdiction run by the 13 federal government into a self-governing city and a mecca for African American politicians, 14 government administrators, businessmen, and intellectuals; and 15 WHEREAS, he was a dynamic leader, a wonderful friend, and a strategic master who strove 16 to serve the citizens of the District of Columbia to the best of his ability; and 17 WHEREAS, a compassionate and generous man, Marion Barry will long be remembered for 18 his love of the District of Columbia, and this loyal public servant and friend will be missed 19 by all who had the great fortune of knowing him.
    [Show full text]
  • Finding Aid to the Historymakers ® Video Oral History with Hellen O'neal-Mccray
    Finding Aid to The HistoryMakers ® Video Oral History with Hellen O'Neal-McCray Overview of the Collection Repository: The HistoryMakers®1900 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60616 [email protected] www.thehistorymakers.com Creator: O'Neal-McCray, Hellen, 1941-2010 Title: The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Hellen O'Neal-McCray, Dates: March 21, 2006 Bulk Dates: 2006 Physical 6 Betacame SP videocasettes (2:41:22). Description: Abstract: Civil rights activist and high school teacher Hellen O'Neal- McCray (1941 - 2010 ) taught African American literature and composition at Wilberforce University. She was a staff member with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, taught in a Freedom School in Mccomb, Mississippi and worked for the National Sharecroppers Fund in Atlanta, Georgia. O'Neal- McCray was interviewed by The HistoryMakers® on March 21, 2006, in Wilberforce, Ohio. This collection is comprised of the original video footage of the interview. Identification: A2006_046 Language: The interview and records are in English. Biographical Note by The HistoryMakers® Civil rights volunteer, Hellen Jean O’Neal-McCray was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi on March 4, 1941 to Willie Long Anderson and Lester Calvin O’Neal. She attended Immaculate Conception School, Myrtle Hall Colored School and Holy Rosary School in Lafayette, Louisiana. Keeping up with current events, O’Neal-McCray knew activist druggist “Doc” Aaron Henry and read the Chicago Defender. A member of the school band, she graduated from W.A. Higgins High School in Clarksdale in 1959. In 1961, O’Neal-McCray met Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC) organizers, James Bevel and Bernard Lafayette and they encouraged her to get involved in the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement.
    [Show full text]
  • Dr. Charles Steele Jr., SCLC President/CEO and Dr. Bernard Lafayette Jr., SCLC Chairman
    WINTER 2020 January – March sclcmagazine.com Dr. Charles Steele Jr., SCLC President/CEO and Dr. Bernard LaFayette Jr., SCLC Chairman In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther . King1929 – 1968 Jr Gray Television and our employees honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. May his wisdom, words and dreams continue to shape our hearts and minds for years to come. GTV MKT AD 0091 MLK ad SCLC v1 horiz logo.indd 1 3/18/19 2:51 PM advertisement Proud of its past, yet focused on the future Montgomery, Alabama Ninety-one years after the birth of an Ameri- On the eve of the opening of the Memorial and can icon and 65 years since he first preached Museum, The New York Times recognized from the pulpit of historic Dexter Avenue Baptist Montgomery on its list of the 52 Best Places to Church, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream is Visit in 2018, further cementing its status as a alive in Montgomery, Alabama! world-class destination. These experiences have attracted hundreds of thousands, contributing Proud of its past, yet focused on the future, to an already booming tourism industry. Visitors Montgomery is becoming an international des- enjoy several new chic hotels downtown locat- tination for history, culture, technology and ed only blocks from the Memorial and Muse- commerce. Known as the Capital of Dreams, um – with more on the way. Last month’s world Montgomery played host to countless seminal premiere of Just Mercy, a biopic of EJI founder moments in this nation’s history and boasts a Bryan Stevenson, captivated audiences and legacy of leadership still propelling the communi- again spotlights the important work being done ty forward into the future.
    [Show full text]
  • What Made Nonviolent Protest Effective During the Civil Rights Movement?
    NEW YORK STATE SOCIAL STUDIES RESOURCE TOOLKIT 5011th Grade Civil Rights Inquiry What Made Nonviolent Protest Effective during the Civil Rights Movement? © Bettmann / © Corbis/AP Images. Supporting Questions 1. What was tHe impact of the Greensboro sit-in protest? 2. What made tHe Montgomery Bus Boycott, BirmingHam campaign, and Selma to Montgomery marcHes effective? 3. How did others use nonviolence effectively during the civil rights movement? THIS WORK IS LICENSED UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION- NONCOMMERCIAL- SHAREALIKE 4.0 INTERNATIONAL LICENSE. 1 NEW YORK STATE SOCIAL STUDIES RESOURCE TOOLKIT 11th Grade Civil Rights Inquiry What Made Nonviolent Protest Effective during the Civil Rights Movement? 11.10 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE/DOMESTIC ISSUES (1945 – PRESENT): Racial, gender, and New York State socioeconomic inequalities were addressed By individuals, groups, and organizations. Varying political Social Studies philosophies prompted debates over the role of federal government in regulating the economy and providing Framework Key a social safety net. Idea & Practices Gathering, Using, and Interpreting Evidence Chronological Reasoning and Causation Staging the Discuss tHe recent die-in protests and tHe extent to wHicH tHey are an effective form of nonviolent direct- Question action protest. Supporting Question 1 Supporting Question 2 Supporting Question 3 Guided Student Research Independent Student Research What was tHe impact of tHe What made tHe Montgomery Bus How did otHers use nonviolence GreensBoro sit-in protest? boycott, the Birmingham campaign, effectively during tHe civil rights and tHe Selma to Montgomery movement? marcHes effective? Formative Formative Formative Performance Task Performance Task Performance Task Create a cause-and-effect diagram tHat Detail tHe impacts of a range of actors Research the impact of a range of demonstrates the impact of the sit-in and tHe actions tHey took to make tHe actors and tHe effective nonviolent protest by the Greensboro Four.
    [Show full text]
  • Viewer's Guide
    SELMA T H E BRIDGE T O T H E BALLOT TEACHING TOLERANCE A PROJECT OF THE SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER VIEWER’S GUIDE GRADES 6-12 Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot is the story of a courageous group of Alabama students and teachers who, along with other activists, fought a nonviolent battle to win voting rights for African Americans in the South. Standing in their way: a century of Jim Crow, a resistant and segregationist state, and a federal govern- ment slow to fully embrace equality. By organizing and marching bravely in the face of intimidation, violence, arrest and even murder, these change-makers achieved one of the most significant victories of the civil rights era. The 40-minute film is recommended for students in grades 6 to 12. The Viewer’s Guide supports classroom viewing of Selma with background information, discussion questions and lessons. In Do Something!, a culminating activity, students are encouraged to get involved locally to promote voting and voter registration. For more information and updates, visit tolerance.org/selma-bridge-to-ballot. Send feedback and ideas to [email protected]. Contents How to Use This Guide 4 Part One About the Film and the Selma-to-Montgomery March 6 Part Two Preparing to Teach with Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot 16 Part Three Before Viewing 18 Part Four During Viewing 22 Part Five After Viewing 32 Part Six Do Something! 37 Part Seven Additional Resources 41 Part Eight Answer Keys 45 Acknowledgements 57 teaching tolerance tolerance.org How to Use This Guide Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot is a versatile film that can be used in a variety of courses to spark conversations about civil rights, activism, the proper use of government power and the role of the citizen.
    [Show full text]
  • Black-Jewish Coalition” Unraveled: Where Does Israel Fit?
    The “Black-Jewish Coalition” Unraveled: Where Does Israel Fit? A Master’s Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Brandeis University Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program Professors Ellen Smith and Jonathan Krasner Ph.D., Advisors In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by Leah Robbins May 2020 Copyright by Leah Robbins 2020 Acknowledgements This thesis was made possible by the generous and thoughtful guidance of my two advisors, Professors Ellen Smith and Jonathan Krasner. Their content expertise, ongoing encouragement, and loving pushback were invaluable to the work. This research topic is complex for the Jewish community and often wrought with pain. My advisors never once questioned my intentions, my integrity as a researcher, or my clear and undeniable commitment to the Jewish people of the past, present, and future. I do not take for granted this gift of trust, which bolstered the work I’m so proud to share. I am also grateful to the entire Hornstein community for making room for me to show up in my fullness, and for saying “yes” to authentically wrestle with my ideas along the way. It’s been a great privilege to stretch and grow alongside you, and I look forward to continuing to shape one another in the years to come. iii ABSTRACT The “Black-Jewish Coalition” Unraveled: Where Does Israel Fit? A thesis presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Brandeis University Waltham, Massachusetts By Leah Robbins Fascination with the famed “Black-Jewish coalition” in the United States, whether real or imaginary, is hardly a new phenomenon of academic interest.
    [Show full text]
  • A Summary of the Contributions of Four Key African American Female Figures of the Civil Rights Movement
    Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 12-1994 A Summary of the Contributions of Four Key African American Female Figures of the Civil Rights Movement Michelle Margaret Viera Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Viera, Michelle Margaret, "A Summary of the Contributions of Four Key African American Female Figures of the Civil Rights Movement" (1994). Master's Theses. 3834. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/3834 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A SUMMARY OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF FOUR KEY AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE FIGURES OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT by Michelle Margaret Viera A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of History Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan December 1994 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My appreciation is extended to several special people; without their support this thesis could not have become a reality. First, I am most grateful to Dr. Henry Davis, chair of my thesis committee, for his encouragement and sus­ tained interest in my scholarship. Second, I would like to thank the other members of the committee, Dr. Benjamin Wilson and Dr. Bruce Haight, profes­ sors at Western Michigan University. I am deeply indebted to Alice Lamar, who spent tireless hours editing and re-typing to ensure this project was completed.
    [Show full text]
  • Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr
    Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr. “Labor, Racism, and Justice in the 21st Century” The 2015 Jerry Wurf Memorial Lecture The Labor and Worklife Program Harvard Law School JERRY WURF MEMORIAL FUND (1982) Harvard Trade Union Program, Harvard Law School The Jerry Wurf Memorial Fund was established in memory of Jerry Wurf, the late President of the American Federation of State, County and Munic- ipal Employees (AFSCME). Its income is used to initiate programs and activities that “reflect Jerry Wurf’s belief in the dignity of work, and his commitment to improving the quality of lives of working people, to free open thought and debate about public policy issues, to informed political action…and to reflect his interests in the quality of management in public service, especially as it assures the ability of workers to do their jobs with maximum effect and efficiency in environments sensitive to their needs and activities.” Jerry Wurf Memorial Lecture February 19, 2015 Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr. “Labor, Racism, and Justice in the 21st Century” Table of Contents Introduction Naomi Walker, 4 Assistant to the President of AFSCME Keynote Address Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr. 7 “Labor, Racism, and Justice in the 21st Century” Questions and Answers 29 Naomi Walker, Assistant to the President of AFSCME Hi, good afternoon. Who’s ready for spring? I am glad to see all of you here today. The Jerry Wurf Memorial Fund, which is sponsoring this forum today, was established in honor of Jerry Wurf, who was one of AFSCME’s presidents from 1964 till 1981. These were really incredibly formative years for our union and also nationally for this nation.
    [Show full text]
  • Black Lives Matter”: Learning from the Present, Building on the Past
    From “We Shall Overcome” to “Black Lives Matter”: Learning from the Present, Building on the Past Abstract: The nationwide uprisings that have occurred since the George Floyd murder are a profound reminder that the racial inequities that have existed since the “founding” of the country. People of African descent have constantly been fighting for freedom, equity and equality. They continue to resist carefully structural impediments that are designed to maintain and preserve white privilege and power. I have been involved in an emerging organization at The George Washington Carver High School for Engineering and Science that is working toward achieving equity and awareness in our building and communities. One of the students’ main concerns is a lack of Afrocentric curricula. Much of my teaching career has been devoted to designing and implementing inquiry-based curricula that explicitly connects African and African-American literature, film, history and culture. This particular project emphasizes the roles of women in the classic civil rights movement and the current Black Lives Matter movement. Students will study individuals and create various texts that will serve to educate peers and other members of the school community. This project can be implemented in any context that will emerge this school year, whether it be distance learning, a hybrid model or in- person teaching and learning. Keywords: inquiry-based learning, culturally responsive teaching, collaborative learning, dialogic teaching, civil rights, Black Lives Matter, Black Art, feminist pedagogy. Content Objectives: Curriculum as Continuum Here is one response to a COVID-19 on-line assignment: Keyziah McCoy: If I could describe this year in one word it would be heart wrenching.
    [Show full text]
  • Teaching the March on Washington
    Nearly a quarter-million people descended on the nation’s capital for the 1963 March on Washington. As the signs on the opposite page remind us, the march was not only for civil rights but also for jobs and freedom. Bottom left: Martin Luther King Jr., who delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the historic event, stands with marchers. Bottom right: A. Philip Randolph, the architect of the march, links arms with Walter Reuther, president of the United Auto Workers and the most prominent white labor leader to endorse the march. Teaching the March on Washington O n August 28, 1963, the March on Washington captivated the nation’s attention. Nearly a quarter-million people—African Americans and whites, Christians and Jews, along with those of other races and creeds— gathered in the nation’s capital. They came from across the country to demand equal rights and civil rights, social justice and economic justice, and an end to exploitation and discrimination. After all, the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” was the march’s official name, though with the passage of time, “for Jobs and Freedom” has tended to fade. ; The march was the brainchild of longtime labor leader A. PhilipR andolph, and was organized by Bayard RINGER Rustin, a charismatic civil rights activist. Together, they orchestrated the largest nonviolent, mass protest T in American history. It was a day full of songs and speeches, the most famous of which Martin Luther King : AFP/S Jr. delivered in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial. top 23, 23, GE Last month marked the 50th anniversary of the march.
    [Show full text]
  • Biographical Description for the Historymakers® Video Oral History with Reverend James Bevel
    Biographical Description for The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History with Reverend James Bevel PERSON Bevel, James L. (James Luther), 1936- Alternative Names: Reverend James Bevel; Life Dates: October 19, 1936-December 19, 2008 Place of Birth: Itta Bena, Mississippi, USA Residence: Chicago, Illinois Occupations: Civil Rights Activist; Minister Biographical Note Civil rights activist Reverend James Luther Bevel was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, on October 19, 1936. After a stint in the services, Bevel was called to the ministry and enrolled in the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee. While in the Seminary, Bevel joined the Nashville chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), then led by the Reverend James Lawson. (SCLC), then led by the Reverend James Lawson. In 1960, Bevel and other black students trained by Lawson, including John Lewis, Dianne Nash, Marion Barry, and Bernard Lafayette, organized sit-ins against segregated lunch counters. Eventually Bevel and his colleagues won a hard-fought, nonviolent victory; soon after, as chairman of the Nashville student movement, Bevel participated in Freedom Rides to desegregate interstate travel and public accommodations throughout the South. In his home state, Bevel created the SCLC Mississippi Project for voting rights in 1962. In 1963, Bevel was compelled to join the desegregation struggle being waged by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth in Birmingham, Alabama. When King was jailed, Bevel organized black children and marched against Commissioner Bull Connor's fire hoses and police dogs. The "Children's Crusade," as the movement led by Bevel came to be known, turned the media tide in the favor of the desegregationists.
    [Show full text]
  • A HISTORY of NONVIOLENCE — a Documentary by Mathilde Fassin 52’ HISTORY
    A HISTORY OF NONVIOLENCE — A documentary by Mathilde Fassin 52’ HISTORY A history of nonviolence — 1 When I was shooting my first film in 2014, I came across the Southern Christian Leadership in Atlanta for the first time, an organization founded by Martin Luther King Jr in 1957. There, I interviewed Dr Bernard Lafayette, a civil rights activist since the 1960s who was a close friend to Martin Luther King. He still promotes nonviolence throughout the world today, and has even made it a way of life. When we met, he was just returning from Ferguson, Missouri, where he had given a training on nonviolence to help Saint Louis residents organize a strategic movement. Ever since I found out about this, I have been fascinated by the thinking put into building these strategies. It consists in a long-term form of elaborated mobilization, applied throughout the world, and yet rarely spoken of. MATHILDE FASSIN 2 — A history of nonviolence AB INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION PRESENTS A HISTORY OF NONVIOLENCE — A documentary by Mathilde Fassin 52’ HISTORY THE GIST The film follows the elaboration of a nonviolent strategy by a group of African-American activists with a precise goal. This serves as an illustration of the use of nonviolence today in the United States, and also gives us the opportunity to go back in time to when and how nonviolence was imported to the US in the 1950s, and its role in the Civil Rights Movement. AIRING April 2018, for the 50th anniversary of Dr King’s assassination SHOOTING LOCATIONS Atlanta, Los Angeles and Ferguson, Missouri A history of nonviolence — 3 A NEW CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT IN THE YEARS 2010 A new Civil Rights Movement has legacy from the historical movement that aboli- been emerging in the United States since 2013 shed segregation: the philosophy of nonviolence.
    [Show full text]