i can never forget their faces

something that really stood out to me was how much power nonviolence holds. the 4 gentlemen utilized methods of nonviolence to peacefully stand up for what they believed was right. it’s astonishing to me how (while it can be frustrating) nonviolent protests yield incredible results! the women’s march was today too, and while we couldn’t go, i’ve been thinking about what a precedent the civil rights movement has set for social justice-based protests.

besides that attitude, i think that the four were educated males, which certainly helped them along. but i think that even though the four were very different in terms of character, their friendship really stood out to me. i think the power of friendship and platonic love is really underestimated today. based on the reenactments we saw, i really doubt that the sit-in would have transpired if even one of those men hadn’t been present. they really seemed to all need and depend on each other.

i think that while i share the fact that i am well educated with the greensboro four, i am far more privileged than they were. that makes me feel strangely- i’ve been thinking about this kind of thing for a while. people with far fewer resources than i often accomplish so much! that must be another personal shortcoming of my own, something i lack. it’s incredible to me that they saw the amount of violence enacted against other black people for doing literally nothing, and being brave enough to stand up. i can never forget the face of emmett till, or the bodies of black men burned alive in the south, or the stories like those of reverend bruce klunder (look it up). i can never forget their faces.

i try to advocate as much i can for everything i believe in, no matter the relevant importance or unimportance of those beliefs to my own life. i think i could do a lot better, though, especially given the examples of activists in the civil rights movements. the wall of remembrance shocked me at the international civil rights museum- i’m not sure if i could ever give up my own life to do the right thing. i’m feeling uncertain. i’m certain that i can’t and won’t forget what i’ve learned today.

- naomi