I have been ambivalent about this trip after these past two days. My understanding of the trip was that it was going to be an in depth exploration of the Civil Rights Movement, yet, for the past two days, I feel as though quite a lot is missing from this journey. What started out as a trip that encompassed every corner of Civil Rights history is slowly turning into a journey exploring one aspect of it: the pacifist/peace activist aspect. While I understand that their involvement was a great part of the movement, it was not the only part nor was it perfect either. Also, as a side note, associating Gandhi with the Civil Rights Movement is infuriating because he hated black people just as much as the white in the south. Dr. King might have been inspired by his tactics but Gandhi would not have reciprocated such admiration.
The movies don't help either. A lot of these movies have this white savior complex that defeat the goals that modern black activists have fought against. Yet again, I understand that the point of these movies is to understand various facts of the Civil Rights Movement and the context behind it but it should also be acknowledged that these movies are Hollywood movies, meant to be feel good movies about racism.
The faint glances at the Black Panthers has also been problematic. We've watched a video about Bayard Rustin, an man who was actively anti-Black activist, who, after retiring from activism, fled to the conservative side of politics.
This is all I have to say for now. It's how I have been feeling and I hope that this feeling changes for the better
KP
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