Pros And Cons Of The Civil Rights Movement

As George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Remembering events in our history such as the Civil Rights Movement is important so they never have to be fought for again, we learn from the past and understand what these people went through, and even though we’ve got a ways to go, we learn to appreciate the America we live in. It is imperative to keep the lessons alive so that as generations go by, people will become more tolerant, understanding, and accepting of people different than them.
One thing we can learn from history, is that it will repeat itself. There will always be racist and evil people in the world, but we need to keep the memory of events such as the Civil Rights movement alive
Consequently, she didn’t have a great social life, and focused more on integration than her friends and Vince, a boy whom she had a crush on. Melba wrote that, “...Even my daydreams about him were beginning to fade because integration was taking up all the space in my mind.” (Beals, 166). She gave up a lot for the sanctity of integration, and drifted away from most, with an exception of family members. Another Pro to Melba’s way of coping with the hate she receives is she learned how to be a “warrior”. Consequently, she learned early how to be confident and brave in the face of racism and discrimination, something she would face for the majority of her life. Melba stated that pride, “... welled inside me and for the first time I knew that working in integration was the right thing to be doing.” (Beals 57). By not letting the racist and discriminatory comments get inside her head, she became a better person with incredible strength and dignity.
The nine students who were brave enough to attend the school received an amount of abuse, both physical and emotional, that is difficult to explain. Both teachers, students, and their parents protested the integration and refused to help the black students when they were attacked at school. Because they didn’t think it was necessary to integrate, they often insulted and spat at the black students when they tried to enter the building and attend classes. They repeatedly are aghast at how hateful people can be toward them, and are scared for their safety. Melba asks, “...How do you think we like not knowing who will hit us and when or where we’ll be attacked?’” (Beals 126) Not only do they have to constantly face resentment, but they are also afraid to go to