David Cameron once said, “Half a century ago, the amazing courage of Rosa Parks, the visionary leadership of Martin Luther King, and the inspirational actions of the Civil Rights Movement led politicians to write equality into the law.” As we celebrate the men and women who contributed to making America a nation of freedom, liberty and justice for all, we would be remiss to not include, honor and celebrate white figures that committed themselves to the movement. Without the active engagement and self-sacrifice of White people in the antiracist struggle on behalf of the people of color, this social revolution would never have triumphed.
Not all whites participated in the enslavement and oppression of the people of color in America. In fact, many white activists from all walks of life fought and risked their lives to abolish slavery and end Jim Crow’s segregation. Elaine Baker’s personal account on They Sent Us a White Girl in Deep In Our Hearts enriches this interpretation through her description of the Freedom Summer Project. It was a mission initiated by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, where White youths …show more content…
While acknowledging the good intention of white volunteers, concurrently, black folks felt reprimanded by the patronizing and paternalistic aura of the white people. For example, tasks like printing or copying led to wounded feelings in the makeshift civil rights offices, because no matter how hard black folks trained themselves on those skills and techniques, white people were still more familiar, or skillful, and they therefore automatically assumed the job. Moreover, even Baker was aware of this “enormous tension”, as she noted how an increase in white summer volunteers in the payroll is “a controversial action that strained racial balance of staff and led to a temporary freeze on additional SNCC staff”
Not all whites participated in the enslavement and oppression of the people of color in America. In fact, many white activists from all walks of life fought and risked their lives to abolish slavery and end Jim Crow’s segregation. Elaine Baker’s personal account on They Sent Us a White Girl in Deep In Our Hearts enriches this interpretation through her description of the Freedom Summer Project. It was a mission initiated by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, where White youths …show more content…
While acknowledging the good intention of white volunteers, concurrently, black folks felt reprimanded by the patronizing and paternalistic aura of the white people. For example, tasks like printing or copying led to wounded feelings in the makeshift civil rights offices, because no matter how hard black folks trained themselves on those skills and techniques, white people were still more familiar, or skillful, and they therefore automatically assumed the job. Moreover, even Baker was aware of this “enormous tension”, as she noted how an increase in white summer volunteers in the payroll is “a controversial action that strained racial balance of staff and led to a temporary freeze on additional SNCC staff”