“In order for non-violence to work, your opponent must have a conscience. The United States has none.” -Stokely Carmichael
I thoroughly enjoyed the film because I feel as though it brought awareness to other black activists who fought for equality. The film, which was made by foreign visitors of America, brought attention to many issues faced by civil rights activists. The film also shows a deep contrast of the black vs. the white experiences in America during the civil rights movement. The way that whites were shown to view America was drastically different from the thoughts of black people, with one black man going as far as saying that he felt like he was constantly trying to “get out of the gutter.” However, activists during the time were able to affect the way that white Americans viewed blacks.
Non-violent activists especially were helpful in bringing about change, because they were able to help connect white Americans to black Americans’ thoughts and culture, making it easier for the whites to be empathetic towards that. Being non-violent in the protests that occurred challenged the way that whites viewed black Americans, because I believe that they expected them to respond with violence, but the way that these activists went about protesting forced the whites to hear words instead. Some good examples of non-black activists depicted in the film include Martin Luther King Jr. and Stokely Carmichael. I’d never heard of Stokely Carmichael prior to this documentary, but I enjoyed learning more about him while viewing it. Carmichael was a peaceful and calm leader, yet his statements and beliefs were so powerful that it made people listen to him, and the FBI feared him because of that power he held.
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