http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Martin_Luther_King_Jr_NYWTS_4.jpg
Martin Luther King Jr
New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer: Albertin, Walter, photographer
After slavery had been abolished in the United States, Southerners decided they needed to find ways to keep black Americans in their place. They made poll taxes, grandfather clauses, unfair literacy tests, and continued to deny African Americans their right to vote. They couldn’t even use public facilities or receive a decent education. Their status was “separate but equal.” They were obviously still being degraded, so clearly they were not “equal.” Yes, they had more freedom than before, but their separation from white Americans was unfair. This is when television news stepped in and brought awareness to people all over the country. TV news showed American society the harsh realities of black oppression in the South. TV news then began pushing the Civil Right Movement onto the national agenda. Newspapers, like the New York Times and the Boston Globe, also helped push the movement, but TV news’ impact was much bigger. The news showed blacks being cursed and spit at, attacked by police dogs, and being aggressively sprayed with fire hoses all for exercising the rights given to them by the constitution. The cruel and unfair way blacks were being treated that they saw in the news, ingrained in the minds of the nation. People started joining the fight for the Civil Rights Movement.
Check out this brief video for a quick history on the Civil Rights Movement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URxwe6LPvkM
History of the Civil Rights Movement
by WatchMojo
Reporter Dan Rather of CBS went to Mississippi to cover a news story for the movement. When he was looking for a Motel to stay in, he remembers the window reading “NO DOGS, NIGGERS OR REPORTERS ALLOWED.” Segregation was at its peak in the South. Name calling was not their only offense. Many reporters were injured while covering the movement. Richard Valeriani, a NBC reporter, was reporting in Alabama and was struck from the back with the wooden handle of an ax. This caused a severe head wound landing him in the hospital for a few days. A state trooper saw the whole thing and didn’t even arrest the guy who hit him. In 1957, African American leaders in Little Rock decided to enroll 9 black students in a white public school. They did this to test the segregated school policy. One of the black students, Elizabeth Eckford, showed up at school alone one day because she was unaware that they were supposed to all go together. When she walked through the crowd, people screamed horrible things at her. It is sad that people could do this to a young girl. This incident was documented by the news and daily coverage on these 9 students continued throughout the year. These cameras showed the public how this group was stormed with curses and threats as they walked across the school. They treated these black students like they were toxic. It is horrible that they can treat their fellow Americans this way just because they are a different color. Their skin color doesn’t make them any less American.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35703177@N00/1402564530
Because of TV news and its coverage on the movement, changes towards desegregation started being made. The University of Georgia was ruled to admit African Americans for the first time. Two students attended the university and were treated horribly. They were cursed and spit at. Just because the federal court made this university allow blacks, doesn’t mean that they would be accepted. Next, the Supreme court decided to ban segregation in interstate travel. A group of racially mixed college students bought bus tickets from D.C. to New Orleans. TV news made sure to document this new story. The group dressed nicely and as they rode from Virginia to Carolina, they were rarely bothered by segregationists. Once they made their way into Alabama things quickly changed. When the train reached Montgomery station, a mob of 2,000 segregationists attacked the group with bricks, baseball bats, and lead pipes. Sadly, the mob smashed the camera, so none of the incident was documented. The abuse this group suffered was extremely severe.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:School_segregation_protest.jpg
School segregation protest
Protest march against the segregation of U.S. schools
by: Ske
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. along with other civil rights leaders stepped into action. They targeted Birmingham where segregation was at its peak. TV news documented this campaign and broadcasted it across the nation. White segregationists of course acted out. They committed horrible acts against blacks, but blacks stayed strong and let the whites make fools out of themselves. The black did not give up, they fought for this movement for several months. TV news continued to document to keep the public informed. Eventually President Kennedy got involved and allowed blacks to shop at city stores and eat at city restaurants. The March on Washington had a great impact on the movement. TV news made sure to document this event. They started off the day with a half hour report on what was going on then a 2 hour recap in the afternoon and ended the day with a report during prime time. They made sure that everyone knew exactly what was going on. They didn’t want anyone forgetting about it for a second. NBC produces The American Revolution of ’63 which was a new special that focused on covering the civil right movement. This program was a big success and brought great awareness.
Check out this video for some footage from the Civil Rights Movement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBPeCQzHu5w
THE CIVIL RIGHTS ERA FROM BBC MOTION GALLERY
by BBCMotionGalleryNYLA
Eventually African Americans were gained their right to vote. Congress passed two pieces of legislation that were extremely important results of the movement. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commissions. It also banned restaurants, hotels, theaters, and other facilities of the public from turning away any person because of racial reasons. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 banned all barriers to Americans exercising the right to vote. Without news coverage, none of this could have happened. Television news showed the public the wrong in society and gained the publics support. TV news has the ability to do things that other news sources cannot. TV news can grab viewers and make them feel like they are part of what is going on. It gives them a visual connection on the issue. It is remarkable how powerful news coverage is on our nation. It has made significant changes on our history and will continue to make an powerful impact.
FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS!
Check out this website about Civil Rights Movement Veterans: Civil Rights Movement Veterans
Check out some of the historic places of the Civil Rights Movement: We Shall Overcome
Check out this blog on the New Civil Rights Movement and get involved: The New Civil Rights Movement
No comments:
Post a Comment