♦ Page 8, Portland Observer, February 26, 1986 r "n< (rum Pa»» 7 were beaten by policemen and many were thrown against buildings by high pressure water hoses Yet. the young shouted out. "T h e police can't stop us now Even Bull Connor can't »top us now " The brilliant scholar and activist, Vincent Harding, reports that many of the young people enjoyed bathing and wading in the watct sprayed at them by " B u ll" Connor forces The young people shouted to the firemen, " W e 'll he back tomorrow with soap " The segregationists in B irm in­ gham were forced to grant the demands o f King and the movement because the jails were lu ll and the merchants were losing money because the young pcple went into then store, sat down, and sang freedom wings Dr King concluded that, " i t is clear that the introduction of Birmingham’s children into the c ampaign was one of the wisest moves we made II brought a new impact to the crusade, and the impetus that we needed to win the struggle " mhiic Chalkngt* fur Today’s Youth 1 oung people throughout the black community today need to he aware o f what their counterparts did dunng the 1950s and 1960s I he young people proved that they were c apable of engaging in creative protest to tree their parents, teachers. and themselves In many ways the young led the "grow n-ups" during the c iv il rights movement By looking hack, young people should come to realize that they need not be filled with despair, dope and hopelessness History leaches that young people can still he the masters o f their destinies In the process, they can change the world. Black Women and the Civil Rights Movement H\ Aldon Morris Black women were crucial Io the rise and success o f the c ivil rights movement this fact has often hecn overlooked because o f the visibility o f male leaders like Dr Martin Luther King. Jr , Slokely Carmichael. Roy W ilkins. Whitney Young, r and Malcolm X Nevertheless, black women assumed both leadership and behind the scene roles in the movement This is not surprising because black women have always been in the forefront o f the black liberation struggle The rut.il oppression o f Afro-Americans has always presented black women from being confined exclusively to the role o f housewife They worked in the fields dunng slavery and they suffered the sting of the whip At the same time, women like Harriet lubman and Sojourner Truth worked fearlessly on the Underground Railroad freeing their brothers and sisters Following slavery, black women organized campaigns against lynching while they cooked, scrubbed, ironed and mothered for while women These were the circumstances that produced strong determined women who never knew what it meant to he placed on a "fe m a le " pedestal. ,vtc VsWE In her lifetim e one term ite queen cun produce over 500 m illio n offspring. “ s ä 5 » • rM Rosa Parks I he earth's surface holds 524 m illio n cubic miles o f water. Another 2 m illio n cubic miles lie underground, and 5,000 cubic Like their historical counterparts, contemporary black women were prominent figures o f (he modem civil nghis movement Some led and organized dangerous demonstrations, making H clear that they were ready Io go to jail and even die tor liberation Others worked the typewriters and mimeograph machines, turning out those communications crucial Io (lie mobilization ol the grassroots constituency Many black women risked jobs and the lives o f their families by opening their homes to civil rights activists in the heat of battle Others erected "citizenship" schools and "fre e d o m " schools in beauty shops and backyards where they taught thousands o f illiterate people how to read, write and struggle lor freedom There were also black women who challened Ihe men in the movement to abandon sexism so that total freedom could emerge within the movement, making the struggle against injustice in the larger society even more powerful and effective As FrcxJ Shuttlcsworth. a great leader o f the movement, put it. "the women made it real " Io capture the spirit and dedication o f the women who propelled the civil rights movement, the following paragraphs w ill take a brief look at the contributions o f Rosa Parks. Ella Baker. Septima Clark and Diane Nash Bevel These women, like so many others, played paramount roles in the movement , Tul miles o f water are suspended in the atmosphere. I he nations o f Iceland, Costa Rica and Lichtenstein have no armed forces. s We d o n o t d o business w ith S o u th A fric a American State Bank AN INDEPENDENT BANK Head Office 27 37 N. E. Union Portland, Oregon 97212 Janae's mm " " S S S , » „.« • Hairstyles \ « i- . " ’ ; ' ' , ' ' _____-------- • Rosa Parks « • “ “ ----- Rosa Parks iv the mother o f the modem civil rights movement Without her actions, the world might not have been privileged to witness the famous year-long bus boycott in Montgomery. Alabama in 1955-56 and the rise o f Martin Luther King. Jr s brilliant leadership On December I, 1955 Mrs Parks a qu id , dignified black resident o f Montgomery defied local laws by refusing to give her bus seat to a w hue man Shortly alter Mis parks' arrest, the black comniuii.tv ot Montgomery organized a mass boycott o f the segregated buses I his develop mem is considered lo he the starting point ot the modem civil rights movement V M j OO Dii ItU 5^' • J -ù C«1O’ WPO' p\e 8»e T4O CV« DILL RADIO, IV £ RECORD CO In and let Tany- ft SftBttn take care o f ydu. 1314 N.E. Dekum 2864893 We weni curly yesterday. SHOUT RAGE APPLAUD THRILL CHEER LAUGH CRY ENJOY! Dr. Daniel Hale Williams (1853-1931) Northwest'« lo rg e it Gospel R .to fd X Top« Selection« Authorized Zenith CT c&/„ a*J ' - V ’ 1 » e ». ** 4 . '* *' ‘ ' ‘ . • , -H, ; ' ' « • • * . . . ’ ; * > • • -7 :' ' ' * • Y • « •' 7«. ’ •* « •••* •* y . - • »» 7 . ' ' * • * • * '» _ - » • ' i * \ * i • y