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Fisk University in the 60s: the civil rights movement and passive resistance


1. Introduction

When it comes to segregation and discrimination against African-Americans, one of
the main precedents to consider is slavery, which took place during the 18th and 19th
centuries. Despite the fact that slavery was abolished during the 19th century in North
America, African-Americans continued to be treated unfairly in terms of working and
social conditions. In this regard, the movie The Butler depicts this cruel situation clearly,
and it is pretty illustrative concerning the degrading place which blacks had in society. At
the beginning of the movie, Cecils story reveals the life which an African-American was
condemned to, especially in the southern states. Some telling concepts that describe this
reality are violence, abuse, oppression, murder and mistreatment.
Several unfair facts were the driving force to begin a new movement that emerged
during the 60s. Fisk University was the setting in which this fight for the civil rights arose,
and its students were the protagonists of it. As James Williams the current president of
Fisk University asserts We always talk about Greensboro in 1963 and Jesse Jackson. And
we always thought that's where everything began, but that's not the case (Herron, 2013).
With these words, it is quite clear the weighty legacy that this group of students left in their
university and, of course, in the American population until today.
University of Chile
Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities
Department of Linguistics
English Language IV, 2014
Prof. Rosa Bahamondes
Students: Daniela Bascun & Brbara Muoz

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Taking into consideration these young students aims and their historical
implications, it is evident that the fight which emerged at Fisk University was a plea for
tolerance and played a crucial role for raising awareness in the American people. In order to
present and support this claim, this work refers to the motivations behind the movement
(civil rights), its mechanisms (passive resistance), the negative and positive consequences
of the struggle and, finally, a general conclusion.

2. Motivations behind the movement: civil rights

The Civil Rights Movement comprehends social movements in the States, whose
goal was to end racial segregation and discrimination against African-Americans and
enforce constitutional voting rights to them. The situations that black Americans had to face
in the 60s woke up the students at Fisk University and set them in motion to fight for their
rights. In The Butler, the character who embodies this fighter spirit is Louis Gaines. His
ideals were strong enough to bear hard situations, dangers and violence. Louiss
convictions are shown through very telling utterances, such as the words he says to his
father after he is condemned to be imprisoned: If I can't sit at any lunch counter I want,
then I might as well be dead. We're fighting for our rights! We're trying to change the
nation's consciousness toward the American Negro (Daniels, 2013). These words
encompass the spirit of the fight and the perseverance that Fisk students had during the
movement.
On the other side of the coin, "The Butler" situates the Gaines family against the
civil rights revolution. They represent the other group of African-Americans, those who did
not have any hope for their lives. The character who best embodies this general feeling is
Cecil, whose answer to his son is quite illustrative to show this point: Rights! Boy, were
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trying to survive! (Daniels, 2013). That was precisely what many African-Americans felt
at that time, that they did not have to fight but survive in a world that belonged to the
whites.
In brief, the movie depicts the two sides of the movement: those who believed that
blacks deserved the same treatment and rights as whites, and those who were resigned
about it. So, the students of Fisk University did not have to fight just against the system, but
also against those blacks who did not believe in this ideal.


Figure 1. Scene of The Butler: representation of the two stances
of African-Americans regarding the movement (Daniels, 2013).

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Figure 2. Kind of segregation in the 60s (Nash, 2014).

Figure 3. Claiming for the right to vote (Hartford, 2014)

3. Mechanisms of the fight: passive resistance

Fighting against discrimination and intolerance was not an easy task. Because of
this, the Afro-American struggle for reaching equal rights as American citizens required
very special weapons.
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Gandhi was considered a model for civil disobedience, passive resistance and
nonviolent protests, which were positive ways to fight against oppression. In the film The
Butler, James Lawson the leader of the movement explicitly stated Gandhi has
demonstrated for us that a brown man in his native land, or anywhere that he's being
oppressed, can pull himself out of segregation with patience, with persistence, with
intelligence and thought, with discipline, and a bit of sense of humor (Daniels, 2013). The
same notion is implied in the song that became the hymn for the movement We shall
overcome in which the main theme is related to peaceful actions and the hope for equal
rights.


Figure 4. Scene of the film The Butler. The principles of passive
resistance (Daniels, 2013)
One of the popular nonviolent protests for reaching tolerance among the whites was
occupying areas that were forbidden to African-Americans. During the 60s, stores had
separated areas for colored and white people. Students from different institutions sat down
in places that, according to the stores policies, were reserved for whites and asked to be
served.
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Another type of nonviolent protest was the massive actions taken by the Freedom
Riders. They rode interstate buses to test how the Supreme Courts law that forbade
segregation in buses was applied in different states. In May 14
th
, 1961, a bus in which the
Freedom Riders travelled was burnt by a racist mob in Alabama.


Figure 6. Bus ambushed and burned by a racist mob outside of Anniston
(Hartford, 2014)
These tactics, added to peaceful marches, were characteristic strategies for reaching
equal rights. As supporters of democracy, the civil right activists believed in a country in
which all the citizen received equal treatment before the law.
Figure 5. Protesting segregation in the streets of Farmville. (Hartford, 2014)

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4. Consequences

The implications of the Civil Rights Movement were essential for the configuration
of the American identity, especially among black people. In order to win this struggle, it
was crucial to remove the perception that white people had of the negroes. Certainly, this
involved several negative consequences for the activists of this movement but, in the long
term, tolerance and other positive aspects prevailed.

4.1 Negative consequences

The movement brought several negative consequences for the activists involved.
Although this fight was characterized for its peaceful nature, active supporters knew that in
order to create a change of mentality, they needed to use non-violent strategies and bear
provocations. In spite of this, the activists were always victims of violence of their
opponents and unfair punishment by the authorities.
During the first stages of the campaign, the cruel treatment received by the activists
was limited only to the refusal of serving them food at a restaurant or verbal aggression.
Later, before the determination of not accepting the policies imposed by the whites, direct
attacks started. Many of the students who participated were seriously injured and also their
families were in danger. However, they never responded to violence with violence.

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Figure 7. Scene of the film The Butler: Humiliation suffered
by a black student during a sit-in (Daniels, 2013)


Figure 8. Woolworth sit-in, Jackson, MS. May 28, 1963
(Hartford, 2014)

Unfair punishments were also an important negative consequence of this movement.
Even though civil disobedience was peaceful, the disorders generated by the confrontations
between both sides were always seen as activists fault and only the negroes were
imprisoned. These penalties continued during the whole process but they were considered
as the prize for equal rights.

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Figure 9. Fisk University student Jean Wynona
Fleming behind bars in the Nashville jail (Hartford, 2014).

4.2 Positive consequences

Undoubtedly, this struggle was worthy. After the movement, the situation in the
States changed radically from the 60s onwards. The campaign was successful in the
desegregation of lunch counters in Nashville and Fisk students were also able to
desegregate other establishments in the city. The movement started with 40 students in the
first sit-in, and grew to over 2,500 supporters by the end of the campaign.
Another important consequence is the place African-Americans got after the fight
and have until today. For instance, they got the right to vote and could hold political office.
Reaching this was not easy, and raising awareness in all African-Americans was crucial for
it. In the movie, this situation is shown through the evolution of the character of Cecil who,
by the end of the film, changes his mind and starts believing he has to fight for his rights as
his son did. This new attitude is shown when he says to Louis: I came here to protest with
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you (Daniels, 2013) or when he realizes his working conditions must be better: Im going
to have to be paid the same as the white help or Ill be moving on (Daniels, 2013). This
change of mentality in the black population is largely thanks to the long and hard fight of
Fisk students.
Many things that were inconceivable before are possible now. For instance, Cecil
uttered: I never thought I would see a black man as a real contender for president of the
Unites States (Daniels, 2013), and now Barack Obama is one of the most popular
presidents that America has had. In the movie, Louis became a congressman while, in real
life, John Lewis (Fisk student and activist in the 60s) is a representative nowadays.


Figure 10. John Lewis: Representative of Georgia (2013)

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Figure 11. Barack Obama: the first black
president in the States (2014)


Figure 12. End of segregation (Ruffles, 2009)

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Figure 12. Right to vote (Winston, 2013)


5. Conclusion

After presenting the evidence which demonstrates that Fisk students role was
crucial for the civil rights movement, it is possible to assert that every single effort they
made was worthy in order to fulfill their objectives and, as a consequence, to change
African-Americans position in history. As mentioned throughout this report, they were
segregated and discriminated against, they were considered inferior respect to the whites
and so, they did not have any rights in society. It is important to remark this fact again,
because it was the reason which motivated Fisk students to fight and, eventually, change a
system that seemed unchangeable before this movement arose.
In a nutshell, these persistent students succeed in raising awareness in the
population, ending unfair treatment and positioning African-Americans as American
citizens with all it implies, a legacy that remains until today.


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6. References

Buitenkamp R. (2013, August 27). Pete Seeger-We shall overcome. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b24Ewk934g
Daniels, L. (Director). (2013). The Butler [drama]. United States: The Weinstein
Company.
Herrmann, E. (n.d.). Woolworth Lunch Counter. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbbcjn4d1cE#t=13
Herron, J. (2013, September 11). Fisk University students played big role in civil rights
movement. Retrieved from http://www.wsmv.com/story/23281408/fisk-university-
students-played-big-role-in-civil-rights-movement
John Lewis Biography. (n.d.) johnlewis.house.gov. Retrieved from
http://johnlewis.house.gov/john-lewis/biography

Veterans of the civil rights. (n.d.). crmvet.org. Retrieved April 19, 2014, from
http://www.crmvet.org/images/imgyoung.htm