Aug. 28 marked the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The 1963 march brought a diverse crowd together to peacefully protest the racism, lack of job opportunities and discrimination against women prevalent in our nation at that time.
I was 4 years old, but my father, along with other residents of Gloucester County participated in the march. My age made me oblivious to the fact that 1963 was an extremely violent year of civil unrest in the south. The mood of many residing in the former Confederate states was that they were not willing to turn away from a way of life they described as “southern tradition.”
This is what reportedly kept people of color in the back of the bus after they had paid full fare, and what was behind their not being allowed to pay for a meal at a lunch counter, obtain a job or vote in an election. Tradition was also behind the everyday indignities of grown men and women being referred to as “boy” or “auntie,” being forced to enter public places through the back door, or having to step off the sidewalk to let those who felt superior pass by. This was the nation many of us found ourselves in as children.
Aug. 28, 1963, will be forever recalled as the date of the Rev. Martin Luther King’s speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial. But the provocation for unrest began in January of that year, when Alabama Gov. George Wallace publicly stated, “I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.”
Four months later, on May 3, teenagers and young children peacefully marched for their rights in Birmingham, while the nation watched in horror as Eugene “Bull” Conner unleashed fire hoses and German shepherd attack dogs in retribution. Even the most hardened heart was transformed after seeing children brutalized for demonstrating peacefully.
As the year progressed, the violence escalated. On May 12, the home of A. D. King, Martin’s brother, was ripped apart by a bomb. Bob Dylan, an agent of change, was scheduled to appear on “The Ed Sullivan Show” later that evening. In part to protest the bombing, Dylan informed he would sing a song titled “Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues,” but refused to perform after being asked to play a less political song. Dylan, like many others had decided to take a stand.
The following month, on June 11, Byron De La Beckwith murdered Medgar Evers, field secretary for the Mississippi NAACP. So many bombs were detonated in Birmingham, civil rights activists renamed it “Bombing-ham.”
One would think that the March on Washington in August would bring the nation together, but that was not the case, as southern tradition dies hard. Once again, Gov. Wallace stoked the fires by publicly proclaiming “What this country needs is a few first-class funerals and some political funerals, too.” He would soon get his wish.
Ten days later on Sept. 15, the Ku Klux Klan planted 19 sticks of dynamite against the basement wall of the 16th Street Baptist Church, killing four little girls attending Sunday school. The blast was so powerful it decapitated one victim.
This attack on a black church, at that time the foundation of the black community, sent a very clear message that the Klan was very willing to kill in order to preserve the status quo. Later that same day, Birmingham police shot 16-year-old Johnny Robinson in the back, killing him after he allegedly refused to stop throwing rocks at passing white motorists. A short time later, 13-year-old Virgil Ware was shot and killed by an angry crowd as he rode his bike through the wrong side of town.
The high-profile violence of 1963 ended in November when an assassin killed President John F. Kennedy in Dallas. Finally, the nation was brought to its knees and forced to reflect, forced to choose between a continued path of self-destruction, or to live up to its promise to be a free nation.
A lot has been recorded in the history books since my birth, and certainly numerous civil rights goals have been achieved. But it would be wise to remember the words of philosopher George Santayana, who said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
By the way, there is a good reason why all the scheduled speakers at the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington were Democrats except for President George W. Bush. Although former President Bush could not attend due to recent heart surgery, he issued a well-received statement that was read. His brother Jeb Bush, as well as Speaker of the House John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, were all invited by the King family, as this was not a partisan event.
All declined the invitation.
Milton W. Hinton Jr. is director of equal opportunity for the Gloucester County government. He is past president of the Gloucester County Branch NAACP. His column states his personal views, not those of any organization or agency. Email: email@example.com.