45 years after march, Selma priest remembers Bloody Sunday
By Robert Howell
March 8, 2010 12:42 p.m. EST
(CNN) -- The Rev. Maurice Ouellet remembers the day vividly: March 7, 1965. As he walked out of church after serving Sunday Mass, he encountered silence. Then sirens.
"Everything was dead, still," said the priest, now 83. "It was haunting. Then the sirens started going. Every kind of siren in Selma was blowing. And I just knew something terrible had happened."
Standing on the steps of St. Elizabeth's -- Selma, Alabama's "black" Catholic church -- the young white priest was about to witness one of the most iconic days of the civil rights era. It would come to be known as Bloody Sunday.
The sirens were coming from the Edmund Pettus Bridge, only a few miles away. Selma law enforcement and Alabama state police, led by Sheriff Jim Clark, had forced back nearly 600 marchers with tear gas and billy clubs.
In the days leading up to the historic march, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had focused his nonviolent campaign for civil rights on this rural section of Alabama. By March, Selma had become ground zero in the fight to gain voting rights for blacks.
Ouellet and his fellow priests found themselves on the front lines.
Responding to the mayhem around him, Ouellet made his way to Selma's Good Samaritan Hospital, where many of the injured were taken. Run by Ouellet's fellow Edmundite priests and the sisters of St. Joseph, it was the only hospital in Selma that served blacks.
Inside, Ouellet encountered Etta Perkins, a nurse tending to the wounded.
"Father, they're going to kill us all," Ouellet remembers her hollering.
Perkins' son would become the first black mayor of Selma. But on this day, Ouellet had little hope for racial harmony.
"I was shattered," he recalls. "They were beasts. I wondered if it was all worth it."
Perkins remembers that tear gas was the biggest problem. Some of the injured "were in real misery," she said.
Because Samaritan was known as the "negro hospital," Perkins says, a lot of doctors refused to come help. "The Sisters of St. Joseph carried a heavy load that day."
In the hospital's cafeteria, Ouellet saw people strewn everywhere.
"I looked down, and there was a little girl, probably about 15 or 16, lying on the floor. She wasn't moving, and she had blood coming out of her head." Ouellet picked her up. "She opened her eyes. Her eyes focused right into my face, and she said, 'Oh, Father, I hurt.'"
Ouellet rushed the wounded girl to the front of the line to receive care and soon came across another badly injured person. The man was lying flat on his back on a food cart.
"He looked more like someone had taken a knife and sliced a piece of his head," the priest said. "He was just lying there bleeding."
The quiet man was John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Now a congressman from Georgia, Lewis had led the march that day, and the severe beating he suffered has become one of its lasting images.
Lewis "didn't say anything," Ouellet recalls. "I couldn't really tell if he was conscious. His eyes were vague, but that was his way, I understand. He had been beaten so many times that when he did get beaten, he would just go quiet. That is when he would go into his mode of nonviolence."
I was really committed. It was not that I wanted to get myself killed; it was just, if this is what it takes, then this is what it takes.
Only weeks earlier, another young black man had been brought to Good Samaritan after sustaining injuries at the hands of authorities. Jimmie Lee Jackson had been shot by a state police officer during a march in nearby Marion, Alabama.
Perkins sat with Jackson the night before his death.
"He was in too bad a condition to talk," she recalled. "I kept him comfortable as best possible."
His death became the catalyst for King's decision to march from Selma to the state capital in Montgomery.
Long before the historic march and the violent confrontation at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Ouellet and his Catholic mission of mostly white priests and nuns had been working directly with those suffering the worst effects of a segregated Selma.
The Society of Saint Edmund had come to Selma in 1937 to set up its mission. Ouellet joined in 1952. The Edmundites faced intimidation from local officials and constant death threats from the white community as well as the Ku Klux Klan.
By 1965, Ouellet found it harder and harder to separate his duties as a clergyman from his sympathy for the plight of his parishioners. He was one of few white men who attended the meetings organized by King's supporters in Selma.
"I had gotten kind of discouraged," he said. "People were leaving. They were scared for their life."
Ouellet remembers one of his first conversations with King. "He thanked me for what I was trying to do and said, 'Isn't it wonderful that we are getting all kinds of people coming down, and we're even getting priests and sisters?'"
Ouellet was not as optimistic. "I said, 'Well, it's about time they got here.'"
King's response helped change Ouellet's perspective on the struggle in Selma. "His head snapped up, and he said, 'Oh, Father, don't say that. The important thing is that they are here.'"
Committed to becoming even more involved in King's cause, Ouellet quickly found himself at odds not only with local officials but with his own church hierarchy, especially when he and others at the Edmundite mission asked to be allowed to participate in the growing marches. The answer the mission director received in this letter from Alabama's Catholic Archdiocese reveals the conflict of conscience facing the church in a divided state:
"I won't stand for any priest of the Diocese going in parades or sit-ins. ... The march on Washington and the marches in Baltimore have done absolutely no good. ... Of course, you realize you are stirring up great trouble for yourself, as I have told you, Selma and the surrounding country as far as the negro is concerned is and always has been the worst in the state. They hate the negro, and hate him worse than they love the Church. ... While I am Bishop of Mobile, there will be no picketing by priests or nuns, and no marching."
Barred from marching, the Edmundites housed and helped feed the crowds, many of them clergy, who poured into Selma after Bloody Sunday. People slept in an unopened wing of the new Good Samaritan Hospital, on floors of offices, in the school and with the priests and the nuns from the mission. The risk of fallout for their actions is evident in this angry letter from the Archbishop:
"I want Ouellet out of Selma. He is a good priest but crazy on this subject. ... It is destroying the Church in Alabama and I cannot sit idly by and see this done. ... No one has done more for the negro people than I have but that is all forgotten by these new men who have come in and only see one side of a question. I have put up with as much as I am going to. ... I have always felt closer to the Edmundite Fathers than any other Community in the Diocese, but Selma has cured this.
The marchers finally left Selma for Montgomery on March 21, two weeks after Bloody Sunday. Many of the supporters who joined the march that day were clergy from across the nation.
But Ouellet was not one of them. Toolen had ordered him to leave Selma. It was a difficult time for the young reverend, who had poured so much of himself into the causes of the black community. "I cried. It was the only way I could handle it at the time."
Monsignor Michael Farmer, the current vicar general of the Archdiocese of Mobile, points out that Toolen had been very active in advancing the rights of African-Americans himself but had his hands tied as the leader of a church that was still very segregated in the South.
"He appears to be not as open, but you must take in his age and lived experience," Farmer said. "The approach that was being used at the time he was not able to comprehend."
Ouellet now understands the bishop's motives.
"He opposed what we were doing," he said. "He was a segregationist, but he wasn't a bigot."
Ouellet says the bishop was well aware of the turbulent times and the danger they all faced. He admits that being moved out of Selma may have saved his life. "I was really committed. It was not that I wanted to get myself killed; it was just, if this is what it takes, then this is what it takes."
After continuing his career with the Edmundites for nearly 30 years in cities across the country, Ouellet is retired and back in Selma, where the Edmundites continue their mission work. In addition to feeding and clothing the poor, they operate rural clinics and in many cases still provide the only doctors available to their patients.
Ouellet lives in a home for the elderly. There, he is cared for by African-American nurses, many of them from the families he once served.
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It is easy to forget that it really has not been too long ago that the Civil Rights movement happened. It was not too long ago that all of us would have been in the same classroom together! It makes me sad to think of the possibility of not being able to teach all of you wonderful students together! One reason why I love EHS :)
ReplyDeleteAnissia W.
ReplyDeleteIt really is amazing how Bloody Sunday was only 45 or so ago, its weird to hear people say if it weren’t for all the things these courageous people did I wouldn’t have the opportunity to sit in a classroom with some of my best friends. These people were willing to risk their lives for us because some of these heroes were prepared to die just so their children, grandchildren and other generations can have equal rights as every one else in the world. Bloody Sunday must have been uncanny and daunting to see in person because the feel will never be the same unless you were there. I thank God I wasn’t born in those times because I don’t think I personally could have gone through all the pain. People were put out of cities because they wanted African-Americans to vote. I wonder why Africans were bought here because we couldn’t have been slaves forever and after we were freed why couldn’t we be equal then. Two hundred years of oppression then African Americans have to fight just to sit in the front of the bus, or drink out of a water fountain with clean water. I’m glad there has been progress toward equal rights our country isn’t 100% there yet but every one’s time will come.
Milan Doshi-5th
ReplyDeleteThe March to Selma and Bloody Sunday were both events that were crucial and climatic points in the civil rights battle that had to be endured. These events had to be endured then because if not the black community in Africa would have suffered a lot more and for a longer period of time of the battles that needed to be fought weren’t fought then.
This article presents breaking a barrier in society because this article is that new hope people that people will not forget the events of the past for two reasons. The first reason is that the events of the past make America who it is and America is a strong nation because of what it has gone through in the past and events such as Bloody Sunday make it even stronger because in times like this people come together and understand each other’s problems to a point where they get solved. There is no reason to forget these reasons because as long as America stands behind what it is done we should be honored to acknowledge these events. Issues like these, such as racism and gay marriage, live with us in society but hiding our thoughts and avoiding talking about it will only bring us farther apart. However, if people were a little bit more open-minded then we would be able to come together, understand the problem in front of us with all sides of the story, and be able to come to a solution. The second reason people shouldn’t and will not forget the events of the past such as these is because we have a duty to make sure that history does not repeat itself and the brutal events of the past don’t happen again. By learning form these events, we will make sure we aren’t fighting the same battles again and by doing this we will remain a stable and integrated society.
A special recognition needs to go to the black community of America because what they endured in that time period is something so unexplainable and something to willingly put ourselves in their shoes for would be hard. We may understand it now, and think it isn’t a big deal or didn’t play a major role in society but that event made the word society because the Constitution of the United States says, “We the people of the United States….” and until we the people don’t unite, we have not created a society that the founding fathers imagined when they sat down to create the basis of this country. The black community now has the same rights as any other race in the United States and because of this we are equal and integrated.
Jeralyn Laran
ReplyDelete4th Period
Bloody Sunday and the March to Selma must have been very terrifying for those who witnessed it, even those who just hear it-it must have been terrifying. The priest vividly remembers what happened that day, forty-five years ago. He explains his story of what happened in much detail. He helped save some of those that were wounded in the cafateria like the girl and the man. People like the priest are very courageous for what they do. They risk their lives to save someone else's, no matter what the risk is. They are the heroes that have saved those. He was very comitted to saving those lives. After a yound man died, they went on the march to selma. Some were scared to join the march, but still joined for the sake of them. They were just a few blocks into their route when the were beaten by the police. Bloody sunday was one of the first of the three attempts from selma to montomegry. I agree with both milan and annisia. These people are very heroic and we give them a special thanks for all they have done for us.
Chris Pena
ReplyDelete4th
It's crazy when you really look at it and realize that these events happened not to long ago, and it's amazing how people in our country reacted to little things, such as color of skin, or religion. I think it's great that we had people in our country stand up for what they believed in, and made a huge difference that benifited our country in many ways. In my opion, God made us all equal, no matter what our raise, religion, or sex is, we are all equal, and I still do believe there is raisism today in this country, we see it everyday, but what we have to realize is all things must come to a end at sometime, so it will just be a matter of time before there is no more raisisim and we can all live in one country happily, the way life should be lived.
Anders Beato
ReplyDelete6th Period
The March to Selma and Bloody Sunday were both memorable events that have most defiantly scared the lives of probably everyone who had witnessed it, especially the priest who has such a vivid memory of it , he was very brave to help the man and girl in the cafeteria. The priest was a great example of how few people of the quality of being a hero, they risk there life for others with out question which in my sense is very righteous. People like this priest are very heroic no question about it and we give them our special thanks for risking there own neck for other. There were many traumatic scenes for the priest to see during these evens for example "He looked more like someone had taken a knife and sliced a piece of his head," the priest said. "He was just lying there bleeding." This must have scared the priest after seeing this gentlemen on the floor just bleeding.
Jacob Fisher
ReplyDelete6th
It's unbelieveable to think all of this violence and racism only took place 45 years ago and through this article I am able to see how this event is still fresh in some people's mind. I am horriffied to hear allot the evil things going on during that time. People were being beaten, getting tear gas thrown at them and even dying. It's sad to hear that when the protesters got hurt they were stuffed into an overcrowded hospitals. I am glad to read that some people in the white community helped. I believe this article is a testament of how far we have came as American. This can be seen through diverse schools like Elkins High School.
Paula Salmon-6th period
ReplyDeleteThis article has really made me realize that segregation in the U.S.A. didn’t happen that long ago. According to this article it was only 45 years ago that this priest was taking in African Americans that had been seriously injured in protests against segregation. I think that God created everyone equal and no one should be discriminated against just for the reason of skin color. Today in the U.S.A. there is still some discrimination against people because of skin color, but it is not as wide spread as it was 45 years ago. I am glad that segregation doesn’t happen any more because it is really wrong and a lot of good people are African American and I would never want to see them get hurt like the people who protested against segregation.
Delma Mathew
ReplyDelete6th period
I agree with you Ms. Scales that it is not that long ago that the Civil Rights movement took place. We would have not been in your class if they weren't any fighters for freedom. Rev. Maurice Ouellet is a great example of a fighter who fought for the freedom. He showed his braveness by helping the man and the girl. The priest was also risking his own life. Most of the people would have stepped back and ignored the cries of the people, but the priest was very helpful. "Ouellet rushed the wounded girl to the front of the line to receive care and soon came across another badly injured person. The man was lying flat on his back on a food cart,"(Howell). The priest was very kind and respectful to the man and the girl. I can never imagine me as the girl who was wounded. I'm pretty sure nobody would trade places with them. We should be thankful to the heroic people who saved our lives.
Andrew Tran
ReplyDelete5th Period
These memories that this reverend is recollecting must be extremely painful for him because of what a horrible thing he is remembering. The March to Selma was indeed a cruel event and anyone who witnessed or was involved in it probably would not ever forget it. I'm not sure who's luckier, the ones who survived the March and were forced to live with the horrible memories of what occurred that day or those who died. The march was intended to be a nonviolent campaign but I guess somewhere something went wrong and then havoc broke loose. I can't be sure who initiated it and it would make things much easier to argue for if I knew that but this article brings up a good point. Even through events like this people have still found it possible for racial harmony. Even on days like that when it seems quite preposterous it shows that we as humans are capable of great things, and that's possibly the greatest aspect of human nature.
Eric Li-6th
ReplyDelete45 years ago there was still racial segregation and discrimination. Many of our parents are around that age and cannot remember what had happened. For those that do, it must have been harsh and are glad of the times now than back then. I would not blame the young reverend of Selma to have his heart closed more to people now that he has experienced this trauma. It's a good thing they are teaching us history. If we had not known this, we would not have looked back upon it as an evil act but continue to segregate and discriminate races.
Jackie Miller- 6th
ReplyDeleteI think it's really interesting how young our country is. Of course everyone who was born after all the races were equal in the U.S.A. think it was very long ago that colors and non-colors were still separated. It is terrible that so much prejudice was shown such a little time ago. The beatings would probably not be excusable today. The priest had to be a witness to such horrible events, and for that, I pity him. I'm glad that the government has opened its eyes to the fact that all humans are equal.
Carlos Betancourt Period 4
ReplyDeleteWe all must be grateful for being born and living in such a great era. Surely all things are not perfect but compared to the old days things are marvelous up to today. Racism, which was a major issue in the past, is becoming less and less everyday giving all people the same freedom and opportunity to succeed in life. Back in the day things were awful. African Americans or blacks were restricted to so many things and were forced to work day and night being paid very little. Thinking of such an event like the bloody Sunday makes one think of how cruel people can be for such a ridiculous reason. Blacks suffered tremendously and experienced a horrible occurrence. The children, at least the ones that made it, must have been scarred for life going through such a tragic event at such a young stage in their life. What would a priest think of this? Priests are kind folks who attempt to bring peace to this world but when something as unpleasant as the bloody Sunday occurs right outside one’s door, priests can do absolutely nothing but pray for his wellbeing and a halt this. These men perform a great deed and it’s just awful how everything they work for is taken for granted and mass murder is taking place just outside their home. This bloody Sunday will be in memories of many and will be passed down for years for those who were victims of such event.
Adam Pye
ReplyDelete5th period
I believe that Bloody Sunday is a good example of how our world is changing. Most countries in the world discriminated against some kind of race or gender less than a 100 years ago, and now almost everyone everywhere is accepted. Times are changing and we as a species are becoming wiser and more understanding than our ancestors. We have gone from accusing people just by seeing them places, to holding doors for them and going to school together. We are becoming a kinder people, and it is a nice change from all the wars.
Sruthi Jayadevan
ReplyDeletePeriod 6
I honestly think people cry racism when it's really not there. Sure I know some people are still truly racist, and I think that's horrible, but as with everything it only takes a few bad apples to ruin the bunch.
For instance if I was walking through a big city and saw a group of young black men and the way in which they conduct themselves leads me to believe they're "thugs" then yes I'm going to try to avoid them. But I would do the exact same thing in a situation with a bunch of drunk white people because I don't want any trouble. As Dr. King said, judge people by the content of their character, not by the color of their skin. If you're acting like a thug (regardless of race) then yes I'm going to treat you as one, and don't expect any help from me. But if you are a good person then I will have nothing but respect and compassion for you.I truly empathize with the horrible way minorities have been treated in this country.
Vanessa Hurtado4th pd
ReplyDeleteI respect the priest very much for witnessing segregation the 45 years ago it happened. For him to still be alive and tell how he feels about it and what he does now is very intersting. Too us teenagers it seems like it happened so long ago but it really hasnt. It was during the time of many peoples parents life time. Segregation could not be something I could imagine now because everyone gets along. The U.S accepts everyone and the government no longer has an issue with it. Im happy the government is taking over and making sure that segregation will not ever happen again.
Michelle Kuo ; 5th period .
ReplyDeleteI read Milan`s comment about the people in society today being so judgemental and close-minded. It really made me think. It`s so true. These cliques that are found within schools evolve from people chosing their ' type ' of people. However, amazing things could happen if we would just be a little more accepting and really get to know a person before making any of these ' decisions ' .
Seeing how diverse our country is today and how there`s really almost no sense of segregation anywhere that I know of here in the United States is amazing . Think about how far this country has changed compared to about 50 years ago .
Jonathan Cheung
ReplyDelete4th Period
This article refers to the segregation in the United States in the late 1900's. Like in South Africa, the non violent protests are responded with harmful results. In this incident, many were badly injured, and some even killed. Yet with all this negativity, this article also conveys the radical change in America. Ouellet had helped a man who "looked more like someone had taken a knife and sliced a piece of his head". The man, who was the leading the march that day is now a congressman. He had turned from fighting to gain equality to deciding equality. Another example was him settling into "a home for the elderly" where "he is cared for by African-American nurses, many of them from the families he once served". His impact is often overlooked by Martin Luther King, but this article truly shows a different, more radical side of the fight for equality.
Iram Nandolia, Period 4
ReplyDeleteThe Selma-to-Montgomery March was held for voting rights and it represented the political and emotional height of the modern civil rights movement. On Bloody Sunday March 7, 1965, about 600 civil rights marchers headed out of Selma but they only got as far as about six blocks. This shows us the force of this movement. Even though the prtestors were aware of the strength the government held, they still fought full on for their rights. Even today I am awed by the atrociousness of the whole situation and everything that has been a part of the whole civil rights movement. If i were to have been in Ouellet's place it would have been nearly impposible for me to see so many injured and dead.
Jonathan Pecson
ReplyDelete6th
Wow, reading this article seems like segregation took place a hundred years ago because of our diverse society today! But this horrible and tragic event, Bloody Sunday happened only fourty five years ago. It makes me sad but at the same time happy about how this country has grown from these mistakes. But it is also sad that we had to lose life in order to do this.
In modern society, the problem of segregation is much less apparent that it was thirty years ago. Although the radical change from then to the present is indeed amazing, it also has to be considered the process of the thinning of segregation and racist attitudes toward opposing groups was very gradual.
ReplyDeleteAs early as the mid-fifteen hundreds, slavery was extremely widespread, especially among the recent discovery of the thirteen colonies. The abolition of slavery took hundreds of years and thousands of lives to achieve. Without leaders and groups such as Abraham Lincoln, the Quakers, Churches, and Martin Luther King Jr., segregation would still be prominent in society.
When truly examining the struggle for racial equality in the US, it was a battle that lasted for half a millennium. It is apparent in all revolutions, big or small, that a strong leader must be present to guide and rally. Good leaders are influenced by society's status, and so, when it is time for our own society to have a revolution, someone new will be the beacon of success.
Grace Amaku-4th Period
ReplyDeleteOppression has always existed and always will exist. It is a primal aspect of human nature, however unpleasant it may be. The strong oppress the weak, and the weak are either made strong or perish. Religions, such as Christianity, were designed to protect the weak from the strong, and vice-versa (i.e. to prevent the masses from rising up), but it hasn't always worked out. Pagan religions, on the other hand, encouraged the strong to oppress the weak, for the most part, so at least that much has changed.
Lets see why do we celebrate black history... I don't know maybe to show that people can overcome inequality by joining in the mass. To give vindication to the black community for over coming a couple hundred years of being used as slaves. They were bought and sold traded treated inhumanely and you wonder why we celebrate their freedom. If you are a true American and know American history you will know what a triumph that was for the African Americans. You would not be whining over a month being spent celebrating them being able to overcome over hundreds of years of slavery and segregation and becoming free with the rights they deserve.
By the way this is not a political issue it is part of American History even though it is ugly.
The reason we have history class is to remember where we came from, remember what we did to get where we are now, and most important to learn from our past mistakes. However there comes a point where you learn from your mistakes and move on. Articles like this remind people to hate each other. Where are the articles that remember all the kind things we did as a nation for those in need? When a tragedy happened and we took the hand next to us, whatever color it was, and helped? We need to stop acting like children. We've grown up now, time to forget the childish grudges too.
Mikayla Winland
ReplyDelete5th Period
As many people have said, the Civil Rights Movement happened not too long ago. Some of our parents were alive during this time. If our parents weren't alive, then our grandparents were. We could ask them about it, and they could tell us exactly what it was like. They could say how different school was segregated, and how their daily life changed once segregation was put to a stop. Today in some parts of our country people still act as though segregation still exists.
I agree with Michelle. Our country has changed a lot over the past 50 years. Today in school, you could get in major trouble for saying some type of racist joke. Fifty years ago, if you said the same joke many people would just laugh. If you even talked to someone of another color, you could go to jail.
Tatiana 4th
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how far the nation as a whole has progressed through the years. To think that not long ago we were segregated and now we can go to the same public schools is an amazing achievement.
We have gone through so many battles leading up to the Civil Rights. The KKK was a major scare. Also, many courageous people such as Martin Luther King jr. and Rosa Parks made a national statement for equal rights.
It is excellent now that we can all coexist together equally with no problems between the colors of our skin.
Seena Keerikattu
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
The Civil Rights Movement did not happen very long ago. Not people have came to realize its effects on society as well as how long ago it took place. When one thinks about such movements and segregation itself, we portray it as something that happened a very long time ago but turns out its not as long ago as we thought. It has led to the diverse society we have now. Though some segregation still exists, it has disappeared for the most part. Though Bloody Sunday occured 45 years ago, it was a very sad experience. Many have died in order to attain freedom for the people around them. This makes me sad yet their actions have left a remarkable impact on our society today in a sense that it has grown and changed greatly.
Joel Jacob-6
ReplyDeleteAmerica has come a long way in 45 years in terms of racial segregation, many countries today still experience problems with racial equality. Rev. Maurice Ouellet is just on w of the many brave souls that were willing to sacrifice their life so that the people could be free of racial segregation. Even though the Ku Klux Klan was after him, he still stood strong. This shows the power each person has over his or her future and how he or she should use it to support what he or she believe in. Mr.Ouellet decided to use it to end racial and be a role model for others .
Christopher Gallagher 6th
ReplyDeleteIt seems unheard of that the civil rights movement didnt happen that long ago. I dont understand why blacks were discriminated so harshly against. Bloody Sunday was very scary in my point of view. Blacks strewn all over the place and bloodied in near dying condition. I am confused at why something so little as a march can cause so much pain. Although, things changed over the years and after all the hard work blacks prevailed leading to the country we have today. A nice well organized country without disrimination is a better system.
Annie Donovan
ReplyDeleteperiod 5
When you truly think back on those horrible events, you have to think about how lucky we are to be living in the world we live in. There is a quote that says something like”if you don’t learn from the past, you will repeat it”. I think that is completely true. The fact that we have so many diverse races in our school is amazing. A long time ago, different races weren’t even allowed to use the same water fountain, now we are each others comrades. What the KKK did is something that every single person should learn from. If history is forgotten, then it could very well happen again.
Brittany Kuusisto
ReplyDelete6th period
(I totally tought I responded to this)
It's hard for me to believe that this tragic event happened only 45 years ago, my parents were alive then! America has come a long way from this racial segregation and about that I'm glad, because this horrible event should never have happened or ever happen again. To me it's shocking that this country, that to me seems fair and all about justice, would let this happen. I'm proud of America because when I look back on this I see how far we've come.
Alexandria Ward
ReplyDeletePeriod 6
This is really crazy. I agree with mrs. scales when she says that this wasn't to long ago. We look at our past and we can truly see the difference. Everything from our government to our communities and schools has changed mindsets. With that change not everyone was willing to except and we still have people who's mentallity hasn't changed, people who still feal anger in their heart. Particurally the older generations who we strong believers in segregation and other similar problems and limits to the unity of the people. Also the older gernerations childrean who the also taught to have this negative mindset. With any change it is important to remember that people aren't like light switches and we can't simply just turn them off or on, it is a graduall process.
Jacob Fisher
ReplyDeletePERIOD 6
I want to start by saying that I sent my blog like a week ago and I don't know why it didnt go through.
Now to focus on the article is almost crazy to think about. I can't belive that these horrific incidents happened just a few decades ago. It was so recent that some people can remember the day this happened. Even though most of the article is filled with death and injuries. I would like to focus on the positives. I am glad it was people like the Catholic church and GOod Samaritan hospital that helped black people.
I guess its because of those hard times that now our classroom can be diverse. If it wasn't for people fighting for what they believed in, i don't know where I would be right now.
Taylor Allerman Per.5
ReplyDeleteWhat happened on Bloody Sunday was horrific and it is sad that people had to fight just to gain the rights that they should have had from birth. It is also sad to think that in many countries all over the world people still face these problems. That is why I am proud to live in a progressive country that is always making the lives of the people who live there a little better. But it is also a shame that a America has such an awful past. Europe Was able to cut the strings of slavery and oppression of Africans so easily and yet a country that claims to be a simbol of freedom is still now having issues with race. It wasn't even a week ago that a man in a Walmart came on the inter com and told all the black people to leave the store. We hace come so far yet we still have so far to go.
Rachel Choate, 6th Period
ReplyDeleteIt's so surprising to think that this went to the extent of beatings and hangings. I think that this is very cruel and that the colored people were treated terribly. They are humans and they deserve just as much as any other person. The Priest is really an inspiration for me, because even after he was kicked out of Selma, he returned yet again to help those in need. Also, I think that King's comment to him was really impacting. To think that someone was grateful that others came unconditionally is very eye-opening. It shows how we can influence the lives around us in our small actions. Mr. King probably doesn't even remember what he said, but he left a lasting impact on this young man. I'm so grateful that there are people that are willing to stand up for what is right, no matter what the cost!
Trevor Mitchell, Period 5
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine the delight of Civil Rights workers when Barack Obama was elected as president, a symbol of everything they worked for (even if he has not done the greatest of jobs so far). This would have been completely unthinkable in the mid-sixties, as demonstrated by this article. Blacks were practically barred from holding respectable jobs back then. This is not to say that racism is unheard of today, in fact the problem may have been magnified by the election of a black president, and not in a one way manner: every racial group has a number of racists against every other race, and being led by someone belonging to a group they hate has made them more vocal about their prejudice. Still, it's extraordinarily surprising what progress has been made since the Civil Rights period, but what may be even more surprising is that such a step was necessary at all: shortly after the Civil War, blacks had all the rights as whites, but segregation was put into place to calm the angry white supremacists.
Josilyn Thomas
ReplyDelete5th period
Racism is something that shouldnt be promoted in any communities that exist in this world that we live in today. I agree with you Ms.scales that civil rights did not take place a long time ago. It was a recent event that took place in this cruel society we live in today and that influenced many people for the better or for the worse.
Now that I think about it, it really wasn't long ago when blacks and whites were seperated. 45 years ago is around when my dad was born and most of our grandparents lived through this part in history. Bloody Sunday is an event that will always be remembered by those who were there. The priest remembers words of children and vivid images from 45 years ago because of the traumatic parts of this event. I have plenty of friends that would have been disriminated against 45 years ago and I am thankful that people stood up to the discriminants and made our country what it is today.
ReplyDeleteAmber Washington
ReplyDelete6th period
The priest in this article did not care what people thought of him. He was doing what he had vowed to the Lord he would do. He is protecting the people no matter what the color of their skin my be. He saw this act of violence towards Native Americans unnecessary and unethical.
He like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are great insprirations, and two amazing leaders to help end segregation.
jibin kuzhippil
ReplyDelete6th period
though many people think racism is over and in the past, unfortunately it continues flowing through our thoughts and actions. i'm sure every one has heard a comment on his or her race at one point or another even if it was a joke.i believe racism is horrible and inconsiderate and usually hurts the other person even if they don't show it. after all the things people(such as the ones mentioned above) have done and been through to abolish racism and segregation its an insult to see it continued. we are lucky to be living in a good place where people aren't judged by their color and every one has equal opportunity. some other countries aren't as developed and lucky.
Nancy Tran-5th period
ReplyDeleteOuellet was a strong and proud African- American that had stood up for what he believed in, which was equality throughout each and every human on Earth. At first he was a man with no sympathy for those who are not truly willing to help others and quickly be at their needs, but after having a peaceful talk with Martin Luther King Jr. he had realized that it doesn’t matter if the volunteers are late or has other things in mind and is not fully doing their best to help others, because it is okay as long as they were there to help. I can see how Ouellet was angry at those who had judged others because of their skin colors after seeing what people (colored people) had to go through for food, and survival was the most important part at that time and some were not lucky enough to get the help that they needed, they had to also face the damages for saying and acting o what they thought were right, opinions. Selma was a place that had needed serious help, but yet some would stay to defend their voice in society, having Ouellet remembering all that had happen on Blood Sunday was something that needs to be pass on so that others can see and understand why life is important and how equality between each other is a big dilemma for society today also.
Sidney Okon 5th
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to believe that such and event occurred so shortly ago. This occurred 45 years ago which is relatively short for the amount of change that we have undergone through the years. This event may only be recalled because it occurred only 45 years ago, but I believe that it should be remembered for the rest of mankind. I believe this because I believe people of the future should be able to look back upon past days and observe the amount of change that the human race has undergone.
Trey Moore
ReplyDeleteI feel that these event were horrific and very cruel. I feel that 45 years is along time and I think that things have juraticly change over the last few decades.
Reid Stacell 6th
ReplyDeleteI agree with Josh, 45 years ago may seem like a long time to the average Freshman in High school, but many people live up to nearly twice that in age. The whole event is tragic, the treatment of colored people by 'white' folks was horrendous. To dehumanize a race so much, to the point where you are beating them with clubs, and throwing tear gas at them, isn't imaginable in my mind for current times. Ouellet was brave standing up for his beliefs, especially when the odds were against him.