Exploration 7- The Power Of Nonviolence

A huge point that this documentary focused on was equality. I got a better understanding of how the people that were part of the movement really felt. I never learned about the First Baptist Church siege in school. I thought that it was very brave that the people inside were willing to die for what they believed in. It made me think about how I would react in a situation that was so serious.

Diane Nash asked Ben West , " Do you feel that it's wrong to discriminate against a person solely on the basis of his race or color?".  I thought that this was a very good tactic. She pointed a finger at him and he responded.

Ben West responded with "They asked me some pretty soul-searching questions. And one that was addressed to me as a man, and I tried as best I could to answer it frankly and honestly, that I could not agree that it was morally right for someone to sell them merchandise and refuse them service. And I had to answer it just exactly that way. " It was a move that would prove vital to the movement and would help them.  Three weeks after his statement African Americans were finally able to eat at the lunch counter.

Another tactic that I thought was a great move in the civil rights was people not going to the stores that were downtown. They began to suffer and it was because they would not serve African Americans. They were not being treated fairly so they did not shop at stores that would discriminate against them. African Americans though were not the only ones that did not go to the stores white people also quit shopping out of fear. If they had been granted their right to have the same equality as a white person then there would not have been a problem. African Americans didn't have to break windows or do harmful things to make a difference. They simply did not go into the stores.