Youth And Civil Rights Movement In The 1960's

Youth and Civil Rights The Civil Rights Movement in the sixties were in a large part caused by the youth of the time. Not only did colored youth feel like there was a transition needed but white youth felt that something needed fixing. The youth of the time founded organizations that were built to fight racism and the youth effectively held and organized protest for equality for all throughout the nation from Alabama to Washington D.C. Youth had the greatest impact on society and were the backbone to the Civil Rights Movement.
The youth of the 1960's had had enough and they believed something had to change an example of this would be the SDS or Students for a Democratic. The Students for a Democratic Society advocated for the abolishment
Protest in Alabama began erupting but quickly they stalled out. SCLC decided the best way to move forward would be to involve the youth. This tactic would have less of an effect on black families because parents could still work while the youth of the time could serve the necessary jail time. High school, Middle school and even a few Elementary school students were recruited for marches. On the second of May 1963 as many as 959 children were arrested. By May sixth of 1963, 2000 youth had been arrested. Even though so many young men and women had been their acts of courage hadn't gone unnoticed and feeling pressure from local protest many white businesses agreed to integrate work areas.
Even though many men get credit for their actions during the Civil Rights Movement many women had even larger roles than those of men such as Gwendolyn Simmons a member and field director of the Mississippi Freedom project. Many people at the time found it hard for her to be a leader as she was a woman. She has said that "[women] had to fight for the resources. We had to fight to get a good car because the guys would get first dibs on everything, and that wasn’t fair…it was a struggle to be taken seriously by the leadership." Women like Mrs. Simmons fought for equality not only for colored races but for gender
They set up organization that supported the movement, they organized protest, they even filled in for the adult population and sacrificed their rights to further the cause of equality. Without the youth of the 1960's equality may not have been granted to colored races and the Civil Rights Movement may have failed. I firmly believe we live in a less racist time than fifty years ago in large part to how the majority of the youth of 1960's felt that equality is a birthright. The youth of the past are the adults of today the ones that are shaping society and shaping the views of today's