During the first two days of our trip, I heard nonviolence discussed in a way that has challenged me to rethink my understanding of this moment in history. As a kid learning about civil rights, I understood that nonviolence meant that protestors would not defend themselves physically, however, I didn’t understand the theory behind it. During dinner with Mr. Charles Persons, he shared that before he became the youngest Freedom Rider, he had a four day training on nonviolence. I always thought that all civil rights leaders were naturally nonviolent and misunderstood the work that went into understanding the philosophy and strategy behind it. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center shared an excerpt of how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. walked next to gangsters and black militias, who, despite having their noses broken and bottles thrown at them continued not to retaliate and practice nonviolence out of respect for the movement. I couldn’t imagine the restraint and commitment it took for those members of the civil rights movement to not retaliate. My discovery of nonviolent bravery continued into Selma.
In Selma today, we were told the story of ‘Bloody Sunday’ from three civil rights activists, JoAnne Bland, Barbara Barge, and Sam Walker. Each activist included their experience with nonviolence training in their discussions. As I walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge today, I imagined walking into the resistance on ‘Bloody Sunday.’ I wondered if I would have the courage to keep walking with the convictions of the nonviolent movement. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s first principle of the nonviolent movement reminds us that nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people; it is an activenonviolent resistance to evil, and it is aggressive spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. This principle breathes power into the actions of the civil rights leaders on the bridge that day! I am honored to be in a space to learn from their stories.
I would like to share with everyone, the six principals of nonviolence365 highlighted at The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park.