Ain't Scared of Your Jails - Bianca Lawson

From the documentary "Ain't Scared of Your Jails" I learned about the civil rights moment in Nashville Tennessee, and about some of the most influential people that were a part of this movement. Taught non-violence action by Jim Lawson, black students such as Diane Nash in Nashville began sit-ins at lunch counters downtown. These sit-ins were non-violent, but they were met with violence by angry white citizens. Many white people in the town felt that they had a right to deny service to others: "I also think that it is in violation to my civil rights if someone can say you must serve me. If you own -- If a man owns an eating establishment, if he can't choose whom he pleases to serve or not to serve, that can affect me and you and anyone else." Throughout the movement, black students continued their non-violent action, and in the end it worked. When Mayor Ben West was asked “Do you feel that it’s morally wrong to discriminate a person based upon their color?” he responded “I could not agree that it’s morally right.” 

The most effective tactic used by the students and protestors was when they stopped spending money down town. In Nashville during 1960, black buying power was estimated at $50 million a year, with $10 million spent at the downtown stores alone. When they stopped spending their money down town, the local businesses took a huge hit. This made them realize that the people they were refusing to serve and treat with respect were the people that were keeping their businesses afloat.