Freedom Riders were people who rode interstate buses into the South as a part of the movement for desegregating public transportation in the 1960s. By openly opposing the policy of separate transport and using peaceful methods of protest, African Americans and white human rights activists have begun a process that eventually led to the elimination of inequality and social injustice. The video about Freedom Riders provided new personal perspectives about these people.
It also offered a very informative historical, social, and cultural background on segregation and the national movement that contributed to the ending of segregation and racism throughout the United States of America. I found the video very inspiring. It highlighted the significance of other little-known heroes, other than Martin Luther King Junior. I admire the fact that civil rights activists did not stop despite exposing their lives to dangers, such as police detentions and passiveness, violence, and threats from white people, mob attacks, and fires on buses. It was interesting to find out the scale of this movement: many people joined it from different states to show support. I am amazed at the courage of the young members of this movement and the concept of nonviolence that they successfully applied.
The issues of civil rights advocacy and freedoms of various people are always relevant. Such matters are an integral part of the domestic policy of any state, especially of a multinational country, such as the United States. After watching the video, knowing about the fierce struggle of the Civil Rights Movement and Freedom Riders allows deeper understanding and sophisticated analysis of other related political, social, and cultural events in American history during classroom discussions. It also improves my tolerance towards minorities and allows full appreciation of national diversity, freedom, and civil rights.
Nowadays, people have become more aware of civil rights issues. Many public and local organizations show generous support for these concepts. Today, the information about civil rights, history, diversity, and social justice is widely spread in schools and other educational institutions. Now, the diversity in nationality, race, and religion is tolerated more than ever before. However, despite established civil rights standards, injustice towards African-Americans can still be observed in our society.
For instance, lately, there is a growing trend when prejudiced, predominantly white police officers mistreat or “accidentally” kill African- Americans. Quite often, these police officers are not even penalized. Furthermore, due to biased people, the presence of social justice towards African-Americans, immigrants, and Muslims is debatable.
I was lucky enough to have not previously experienced discrimination or social injustice. However, I have observed the most profound example of prejudice and discrimination in the philosophy and behavior of President Trump. Even before being elected, Trump had distributed hate speeches towards minority groups of the U.S. Moreover, after the election, there were almost a thousand hate crimes across the country against Hispanics and African Americans, Muslims, and ethnic minorities. To this extent, I always wonder how social justice and civil rights of American citizens can be protected if the very head of the state is racist in the first place.
Hence, the video depicted the struggle of African Americans for a right to go to the same schools, use public facilities, entertainment, and transport on a par with the white population. Civil rights activists fought despite endangering their lives to bring justice. Today, the impact of these struggles is self-evident. However, discrimination and social injustice are not completely eradicated in our society. Civil rights are still being threatened by some political leaders.