Samara Rahman on the Freedom Movement
This essay was written by Samara, a New York City high school senior, as part of the Freedom and Citizenship summer seminar in 2023. To read more student writing, visit the students' Civic Digest.
The key problem discussed in King and Baker’s readings was how to combat the unjust systems in our communities. King believed that the individuals of a country have the responsibility of carrying out justice anywhere, that “whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly” (King 1). No one is an “outsider,” and as long as they reside in that country, they have the duty to respond to the injustices around them.
He mentions that clergyman and other politicians have responsibility to take direct action against racial injustice in their communities. I can draw the conclusion that he wants experienced men to lead the cause because they have the most power in society and the ability to make change quicker. King contradicts himself in his preaching for equality since he reaches out to only the clergymen to rely on their influence for change. He depends on their response in order to get his ideas heard by others; he wasn't perceived as a well grounded activist since he was accused of having many faults, one being “advocate breaking some laws and obeying others” (King 4). On the other hand, Baker believes that the youth should be involved along with the adults to collaborate, instead of the adults taking charge and molding the opinions of the youth. She encourages group centered leadership, “for adult and youth to work together and provide genuine leadership…for the benefit of the group” (Baker). We can assume that she wants people to take action in facilitator roles since she built SCLC along with King. Her view is that the people are the driving force of the movement and they should take initiative fighting for their own freedom and struggles. On the whole, both King and Baker encompass the same goals but in reality Baker’s plan of action comes across as more successful.
This age distinction between activist movements differs. For example, in the Montgomery bus boycott, the youth became a vital force protesting against segregation on public transportation. This led to the Supreme Court ruling to desegregate buses a year later. The protesters’ resistance proved Baker’s point about the people being the ones to seize control of an issue. In other movements, such as the lunch sit ins, freedom rides, and school integration, the majority of the participants were youths. In these cases, adults seem to take leadership roles, but not participate in any of the movements in real time. All in all, the values of King and Baker resonate with each other, but they have different ways of presenting them to the people.
