We talk about it as separation of the races, customs and traditions that have been built up over the last 100 years that have proved for the best interests of both, the colored and the white people. It was almost 100 years after the emancipation proclamation, and america is still racially and rigiddy segregated. Black people couldnt vote in the south. They couldnt even go into the Public Libraries. The Public Libraries were segregated. The churches were segregated. Amen we are in atlanta, georgia, in the eb needer Baptist Church where a father and son are the copastors. Frankly, as others have said, i dont know what the future holds but i know who holds the future. This is our hope. This is that something that keeps us going. Martin luther king was immensely frustrated by the end of the 1950s because he had become famous. Hes preaching all over the country. He knows thats his gift but he says people cry at my sermons and then the next morning, its still segregated. Martin king called about 50 ministers from across the south to start a nonviolent movement. The understanding of teaching nonviolence was clear, but there wasnt anybody that could teach it like jim lawson. James lawson has been to india and comes back with this store house of gandhiian tactics. Martin king said come to nashville now, we need you now. So i went to nashville and organized other people. Now, tonight, we have a most important business to try to accomplish, and that is to try to have one major roleplaying experience, which sort of tries to set the stage for an actual demonstration for an actual sitin. You talk about the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s is, people often talk about selma and birmingham and montgomery, but the incubator of it all was tennessee where james lawson started teaching his lessons about nonlessons. Teaching people like james louis and. Dan nash how to not swing back if somebody hits you with a nightstick. We actually practiced sitting in. Some took the role of students who were sitting at a lunch counter, and others took the role of white thugs. We were practicing how to remain nonviolent even in the face of violence. There had been other sitins in those early months of 1960, but no one is centrally organizing or coordinating this like the Student Group from nashville. It was on february 13th, and we had the very first sitin in nashville. I took my seat at the counter. I asked the waitress for a hamburger and a coke. The students sit down at the lunch counter asking to be served, knowing full well its against the law. We were prepared to be arrested and go to jail, and if necessary, stay in jail. Well, it was a moving feeling within me that i was sitting there demanding a godgiven right. I could no longer be satisfied or go along with an evil system. The big surprise for them was that they werent arrested. They sat there all day and they realized that white people were flummoxed. It is creating bewilderment and confusion among the White Communities and even among the kneeing grows themselves. When this disciplined platoon comes into a store and occupies all of the seats at the lunch counter, they renewsed to move on the request of the store owner, they put on a boorish exhibition of what seems to be bad manners and crashing into a place where they are not welcom, i submit it comes with poor grace where their spokesman charges the store owner with bad behavior. Mr. Kilpatrick, i think on this point, you would have to agree with me that all people should obey just laws, but i would also say that an unjust law is no law at all. And when we find an unjust law, he think we have a moral obligation to take a stand against it. During the weeks after the sitins began, opposition in the White Communities of the south solidified and the first signs of violence appeared. A man cape out and said that there was a fight down there on the side. There was a bunch of colored boys and girls on the stools in the counters so i instructed the men to put them under arrest. On february 27th, 80 nashville students were arrested out of over 300 who were participating in the 8ins that day. As the students were confronted with the choice of paying a 50 fine or spending over a month in jail, each of them chose jail. I felt free. I felt liberated. I felt like i had crossed over. While we were in jail, black women got on the phone and organized an economic withdrawal. The negro has a terrific purchasing power. So the merchants, of course, was feeling the pinch because they were definitely not coming downtown to spend that money. The next day in nashville tennessee in the newspaper had a headline, mayor favored desegregation. It was a great victory for the movement and for the city of nashville. The economic boycott was withdrawn, and nashville became the first major city in the south to permit whites and negros to eat together in public places. A Remarkable Group lawson brought together in nashville, they became a cadre. We all applauded and here was the situation that turned out right. The ideas that they promoted very quickly spread across the region and across the nation. Start with the best writing experience. . Make it incredibly thin. Add an adjustable kickstand, a keyboard, a usb port, and the freedom of touch. And, of course, make it run microsoft office, with the power and speed to do real work. Introducing surface pro 3. The tablet that can replace your laptop. But were not in the business of naming names. The Volkswagen Passat is heads above the competition, the fact is, it comes standard with an engine thats been called the benchmark of its class. Really, guys, i thought. It also has more rear legroom than other midsize sedans. And the Volkswagen Passat has a lower starting price than. Much better. Vo hurry in and lease the 2014 passat s for 199 a month. Visit vwdealer. Com today. So what im saying is, people like options. When you take geico, you can call them anytime you feel like saving money. It dont matter, day or night. Use your computer, your smartphone, your tablet, whatever. The point is, you have options. Oh, how convenient. Hey. Crab cakes, what are you looking at . Geico. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on Car Insurance. [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. She can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. My mom works at ge. The sitin movement it has challenged certain fundamental concepts of law and is shake the regional traditions of the south in an entirely new way. He was extremely pleased with the emerging of the student sit in movement in early 1960s. There were sitins in atlanta where dr. King is living by that time. King himself gets arrested in one at Richs Department store. King is kept in jail when everyone else is released. And thats when it got involved in the president ial campaign. John kennedy, the president ial candidate, calls concern, very unexpected public gesture. Within 24 hours, Robert Kennedy called that judge and asked that he get king out of jail. Next thing we knew is daddy king had gone public and said i was against having a catholic for president , but if he can wipe the tears from my daughter nalls eyes, i have the courage to vote for kennedy for president and i have a suitcase full of votes. Dr. King, have you heard anything from Vice President nixon or any of his supporters . Ive been confined and i havent talked with anybody from washington or from the campaign. Do you know of any efforts made on behalf of the Kennedy Group . Well, i understand that the Kennedy Group did make definite contacts and did a great deal to make my release possible. It turned out that phone call was given credit for kennedys victory in one of the closest elections in modern history. King said, i hope that at last we have a president with the intelligence to understand this problem. Im convinced that he has that understanding, and now well have to see what his passion leads him to do. But what together we can do kennedy in his inaugural speech did not have a single mention of a domestic issue. Harris wofford said all these people out there and particularly black people who voted for you and youve got to give them something. What they did then was add two words talking about freedom and human rights abroad and at home. That was the only mention. Kennedys administration is trying to keep a lid on the civil rights issue, and civil right activists are determined to push ahead. Brave blacks and whites rode into the deep south together on greyhound and trailways buses to challenge segregation as freedom riders. The freedom ride started with two buses, 13 people going from washington d. C. To new orleans. The concept of the freedom rides was to show that the segregation laws were not being enforced in the south. Even though the law of the land says that a passenger can ride interstate and participate in lunchrooms and waiting rooms and bathrooms an, the law says this, everyone cannot, particularly the negro. They are buying tickets from town to town and getting off in each town, going into waiting rooms, restaurants, cafes that are traditionally segregated in such a manner as to enrage them and provoke them into acts of violence. Thats what they are doing. We were aboard a Greyhound Bus going to birmingham. We were surrounded by a mob. Who followed us out for about four miles until one of our tires went flat. They finally threw a bomb into the bus. The bus filled very rapidly with black smoke. Meanwhile, when the trailways bus got to birmingham, it was even worse. They dragged about six of the passengers out, both negro and white, they took them into the corridors and alleys and began beating them, began hitting them with lead pipes. They knocked one man, a white man down at my feet and beat him and kicked him until his face was a bloody red pulp. The riders were severely beaten, could not continue. The Nashville Movement decided that we had to take up the freedom ride where it had left off. Groups would be dispatched. Dan die and nash side the line made the difference. She said we will not allow violence to destroy nonviolence. This was the test. Ten of the kids said we will go tonight and thats the stuff that makes you free. Thats the stuff that is freedom. A group of them got on a bus in birmingham. When the bus pulled into the montgomery station, john lewis could see hundreds of whites headed towards him with baseball bats, bricks, rocks. An angry mob just came out of nowhere. They started beating the freedom riders. I was hit with a wooden crate, beaten, left lying in a pool of blood. Before police finally broke up the crowd with tear gas, they beat and injured at least 20 persons. After the riders are attacked and brutally beaten, the freedom riders essentially become trapped in Ralph Abernathys first Baptist Church. The church was surrounded and people were setting fire to cars. It is a very dangerous situation. Outside. No one, but no one could leave the church. Dr. King had gone over to montgomery from atlanta to lend support to the freedom riders and so king, too, along with the riders is trapped at this church. Now, its very easy for us to get angry and bitter and even violent in a moment like this, but i think this is a testing point. So nice, so nice sweet, sweet, st. Thomas nice so nice, so nice st. Croix full of pure vibes so nice, so nice st. John a real paradise so nice, so nice proud to be from the Virgin Islands and the whole place nice [ female announcer ] to experience your Virgin Islands nice, book one of our summer packages today. I hope that we will remain calm as we have done in so many touchy, difficult moments and i know were going to do it. Martin luther king jr. Placed a call to Robert Kennedy and said to the attorney general, something must be done. We are planning during the course of this afternoon to send in several hundred more u. S. Marshals from around the country to help and assist. President kennedy called out the United States marshalls, he placed the city of montgomery under martial law. In this situation, i want to making this announcement that the city is now under martial law, and troops are on the way into the montgomery. [ cheers ] now this thing with king and all of the socalled freedom riders is to return to the their homes, go back to their books and mind their own business. Finally, with federal intervention, the freedom riders were put on a bus and headed to jackson. We pull on into jackson. The wagon was waiting for us. Youre under arrest for refusing to we didnt know it at the time, but the kennedys had agreed that the freedom riders could be imprisoned. The Kennedy Administration makes a deal whereby the Mississippi Police units agree that there will be no violence, but the tradeoff is that every free rider arriving in jackson immediately will be arrested. Officials in mississippi think theyve found a legal way to circumvent desegregation. Their method calling any defiance of segregation a threat to the peace in an area where popular feelings run so high. The freedom riders included james bevel, john lewis, james lawson, among others, were sent parchman state penitentiary. So this guy takes me back to the jail cell and prison doors slam, it has an effect on you. That sound, you felt you would never get out again. As soon as the agitators leave and get tired of trying to stir up trouble, were going back to the same old way of living thats made our city such a wonderful place in which to live. Thank you very much, mr. Mayor. Well. This attempt to stop the freedom rides only served to fuel the flames of the Civil Rights Movement. I would like to see a show of hands of those of you who will be willing to continue the freedom ride in the near future. Lets see a show of hands, please. Freedom ride after freedom ride would come freedom ride after freedom ride would come through and get arrest in jackson and go to jail and get moved to the penitentiary. During the time they spent in prison, a bond formed and they came out of prison more dedicated than ever and began to fan out across the south. James h. Meredith, grandson of a slave and applicant for admission to the university of mississippi. What do you want from the university of mississippi . I think every citizen should have the opportunity to receive an education in his state. You should have an opportunity to receive the best possible education. Mississippi air force veteran James Meredith insists on being admitted to the university of mississippi and ross barnett, the government of the state hes not going to let this happen. We here by deny you admission to the university of mississippi. And it becomes a crisis. Ross arnett with drew local police and allowed the campus to become a war zone. Please, teaching order. How can i remove him governor when there is a riot in the street and step out of the building and something happen to him . We got to get somebody up there now to get order and stop the firing and shooting and then well talk on the phone about meredith. At first we need order. Finally, the army arrives from memphis and comes rolling on the campus and stops the riot at that point. I deeply regret the fact that any action by the executive branch was necessary in this case. But all other avenues and al alternatives have been dried and exhausted. James meredith went to school at old miss today but his travels to and from classes were not those of a regular student. Go on now. For everywhere meredith went, so did his escorts. There is no country where the violence of sunday and monday is unreported. The example of the biggest story in the london everything standard was the violence on the mississippi campus. It was humiliating for a democracy and embarrassing. I think my father and uncle were forced on the policy issues of americas leadership in the globe and saw the Civil Rights Movement in our country as kind of a distraction. I think this is a charge before the president. He must start now making moral decisions, rather than purely political decisions. And other Car Insurance companies . Yes. But youre progressive and theyre them. Yes. But theyre here. Yes. Are you. There . Yes. No. Are you them . Im me. But the lowest rate is from them. Yes. So thems best rate is. Here. So where are them . Arent them here . I already asked you that. When . Feels like a while ago. Want to take it from the top . Rates for us and them. Now thats progressive. Call or click today. With the top speedou compare of comcast the top speed of business dsl from the internet. Phone company well, theres really no comparison. Why pay more for less . Call today for a low price on speeds up to 150mbps. And find out more about our twoyear price guarantee. Comcast business. Built for business. In the name of the greatest people that have ever walked this earth, i draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet and i say segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever. George wallace became a figure for white southerners and when he promised segregation forever to the resistant white south. Im sorry mr. Wallace, god has spoken to me. That he wants freedom for his people. It may even mean physical death but if it means that i will die standing up for the freedom of my people, god has spoken to me. King very wisely sees an opportunity to give more exposure to the sieve Rights Movement and prod the Kennedy Administration. Martin luther king decided that they should have major demonstrations, only in areas at local Law Enforcement would react violently. Do you think you can keep burning him in the present situation of segregation . I may not be able to do it, but ill do trying. Bill conner has a wellknown identity as one of the hardest hard liners in defensive segregation. He encouraged the hiring of clansmen on his police force. King is assuming that bill conner is going to provide the pictures and footage they need to