The first myth or misconception that came to my mind after reading the first chapter was the mistaken belief that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the sole entity to establish and lead the civil rights movements. I think it was very critical for Mr. Reed to delve into this misapprehension first because, throughout the years Dr. Martin Luther King’s name has become synonymous to the civil rights movements due to discrepancies within the educational systems and media outlets. It’s ashamed that prominent and heroic names and establishments such as Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, Carmichael Stokely, Marcus Garvey, NAACP, and SNCC just to name a few, subtlety gets swept under a rug and thrown into oblivion. I believe the civil rights movement is just as important as WWI or WWII and ought to be taught in the same spectrum or realm. Not just Martin Luther King but many women and men gave their blood, sweat, and tears for a cause that helped shape society today, and it’s only right that these major figures get embedded in the minds of Americans.
The second myth that caught my attention was role that women played during the civil rights movements. Along with the Dr. Martin Luther myth, I personally believe it is a disservice and a crime that women like Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Septima Clark didn’t get the recognition that they deserved. What Mr. Reed does in this chapter is compelling and phenomenal to show the readers the unfortunate scrutiny that both men and especially women went through as activist. Prior to reading this book I’ve learned about such names but never acquired the concrete knowledge about the momentousness role each individual played during the fight for equality and justice. These flaw claims that women never participated in the struggles just shows you how corrupt this nation really was.
Great reflections Jose - I have a friend who teaches history who was once challenged by her student as to why they were spending as much time on Civil Rights as World War II. Our values are so often reflected in what we see as important. On the woman question, I think one thing we see is that we have a hard time acknowledging that even heroic movements aren't perfect, and that some women faced sexism in the movement. (Just as, on the flip side, the women's movement had problems with racism.)
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