EOTO #4 Reaction: 

The Civil Rights Era was a tumultuous time in American history. A time of unprecedented Supreme Court cases, both for the 1st Amendment and the 14th Amendment, began after Brown V. Board. The protests in this era became the model for the protests of the modern day, namely: non-violent protests are more effective. 

The 1960's especially were full of events that both hindered and pushed forward Black progress. Today we talked about those events. Firstly, the negatives: 

Grace Ann spoke about the assassination of MLK. He was one of the most prominent leaders of the Civil Rights movement and the voice of reason and peace. The pioneer of non-violent protest was assassinated by James Earl Ray at a hotel in. Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968.

The assassination prompted protests across the nation, and devastated the Civil Rights movement across the nation. His killer was given a 99 year sentence and died in prison. 

Josh talked about the assassination of RFK. The Democratic Presidential candidate in 1968, was shot hours before winning the Democratic primary in California. RFK was a beacon of hope for the nation, as he was both a Civil Rights advocate and a hope for peacefully resolving the issues that plagues the country. He was assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian who hated RFK's foreign policy stance. With RFK's death, hope for the nation also died with him. 

Max spoke about Malcom X's death. A troublemaking young man, he eventually joined the Nation of Islam, a Civil Rights group with an emphasis on violence. He criticized MLK and the mainstream Civil Rights movement because of their commitment to non-violent protests. His assassination in 1965 was a major blow to the Civil rights movement. 

Kayla spoke about anti-miscegenation laws. The Loving couple was arrested for marrying and cohabitating in the state of Virginia and fled to Washington DC. An indignant Mildred wrote a letter to then attorney general RFK, who referred her to the American Civil Liberties union. They began fighting for their marriage in 1963 and by 1967, the supreme court ruled that these types of laws were deemed unconstitutional against the 14th amendment. 

Brad explained "red lining".  African Americans had trouble buying houses because of mortgages and the Federal Housing Administration The fair housing act of 1968 overturned this but the housing ownership gap remained large. 

Gabby explains the Boston Bus Riots. When the Supreme Court mandated the desegregation of schools and school transportation. On the first day of school, police were in combat gear to prepare for the bottles and glass thrown at the buses. Most African Americans did not return to school after the first day because they felt unsafe. 

Now for the progression of Black progress events: 

Johnathan explained the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act prohibited discrimination in public accommodations based on race, nationality or color. This act was signed into law by President LBJ. This act was brought to life by the "I Have a Dream Speech" and the Montgomery bus boycott, which convinced JFK and Congress that this act was necessary. 

Kacie spoke about the Voting Act of 1965, which was signed into law by President LBJ. This law provided greater election access to African Americans. This stopped poll taxes, and other practices that hindered African Americans from voting. 

Lindsey talked about the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Signed into law by LBJ and prohibited the discrimination of people who were buying houses based on color, race, etc...This law allowed minorities to choose where they wanted to live regardless of their background. This law created federal and local Fair Housing Organizations and opened the door for more inclusive and diverse communities, allowing families to also move into neighborhoods with better schooling for their children. 

Elliot spoke about Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to ever serve on the US Supreme Court. He participated in arguing many civil rights cases, including Brown V. Board, and was head of the NAACP legal counsel. JFK appointed him to the US court of appeals, and LBJ nominated him both for Solicitor General and the Supreme Court position. His judicial activism created a bit of controversy in his appointments debates, but he prevailed and served on the court for 24 years. 

 Lucy spoke about Affirmative Action: which aimed at increasing workplace and educational opportunities for underrepresented people. The controversy came from the idea that there would be under qualified people working in high paying jobs or higher education opportunities, which prompted the Supreme Court case, Board of Regents V. Bakke. 

And finally, Abby explained the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), preventing employment discrimination in the workplace based on race, religion, sex, etc... This can include hiring and harassment. The Civil Rights act caused this organization to open the next year in 1965 to enhance Title 7 of the Civil rights act. Congress recently gave this organization the power to reach private employees. This also spurned the natural hair movement for African Americans and helped for the acceptance of African Americans in the workplace. 

Overall, the Civil Rights Era was a very unstable time in the nation, but the things that happened at this time would influence activism going forward.