{"id":1397,"date":"2013-06-05T13:33:00","date_gmt":"2013-06-05T13:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2013\/06\/rhetoric-of-the-civil-rights-movement-part-1-reflections-on-the-film-the-rise-and-fall-of-jim-crow.html"},"modified":"2013-06-05T13:33:00","modified_gmt":"2013-06-05T13:33:00","slug":"rhetoric-of-the-civil-rights-movement-part-1-reflections-on-the-film-the-rise-and-fall-of-jim-crow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2013\/06\/rhetoric-of-the-civil-rights-movement-part-1-reflections-on-the-film-the-rise-and-fall-of-jim-crow.html","title":{"rendered":"Rhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement, Part 1: Reflections on the film “The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
by Andre E. Johnson<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
R3 Editor<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n
This summer for two weeks at Memphis Theological Seminary<\/a>, I get to teach \u201cRhetoric of Race: The Rhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement.\u201d \u00a0In this class, we engage in a careful reading of major sermons, speeches, and writings during the Civil Rights Era (1954-1965). From this, by grounding ourselves in rhetorical and other communication theories and practices, we examine the contributions of significant people to the movement by examining the ways in which they grounded their discourse in religious language. By studying the Civil Rights Movement and the use of religious testimony, the application of civil religion, the use of the Bible, the use of biblical narratives, the role of the Church, and an understanding of God and God\u2019s action in world, helps to provide a basis for reflection upon issues that are germane to us even today. <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Part of the class is to do a daily reflection paper on topics discussed in class. I will share some of the students\u2019 reflections in a series of posts.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/a>On the first night of class, to get a better understanding of how segregation became \u201cnormal\u201d in America, we watched The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, Part 1<\/a> and talked about the Plessy v. Ferguson<\/a> decision that led to \u201cSeparate but Equal\u201d doctrine. Many of the students wrote their reflect paper on their own responses to watching the film. In noticing how the \u201cideology\u201d of race is powerful, one student remarked, \u201cRace, as a biological phenomenon is a fiction, but the damage that those who believe in this fiction can create, is appallingly real.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n
When the subject of lynching came up in the film one student wrote:<\/span><\/div>\n
\n

God created humanity equal [but] what a sad indictment to God to have humans mistreating their fellow humans and thinking that it\u2019s okay with God\u2026.The condescending verbiage was enough to cause [me] to say like the disciples, \u201cLord, call fire down to consume them,\u201d but then you remember the words of Jesus and recant your thought.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a>Another student, reflecting on injustices at his place of employment and in his Mississippi hometown, just simply lamented, \u201c<\/i>Jim Crow is not dead by any stretch of imagination. He lives in the hearts and minds of those who feel blacks are and will forever be inferior to whites in America.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Yet another student searched deep within after watching the film and offered, \u201c<\/span>I thank God that I\u2019m not bitter at white people. It is because I am a Christian.\u00a0 I love all my neighbors, friends, sisters and brothers in Christ.\u201d\u00a0 Further, anticipating the benefits of a class such as this, the student commented, <\/span><\/div>\n
\n

This reflection paper makes me wonder, what did my classmates think about the film?\u00a0 I\u2019m looking forward to open discussion.\u201d The last time I had an open discussion on the civil rights movement it got out of control in my American History class twenty years ago in college.\u00a0 I know this time it will be in a safe and civilized environment.\u00a0 Why, because I will be in the presence of others who will embrace and respect my feelings.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

I too look forward to having more conversations and reading more reflections as this class continues. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Andre E. Johnson R3 Editor This summer for two weeks at Memphis Theological Seminary, I get to teach \u201cRhetoric of Race: The Rhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement.\u201d \u00a0In this class, we engage in a careful reading of major sermons, speeches, and writings during the Civil Rights Era (1954-1965). From this, by grounding ourselves […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2251,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nRhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement, Part 1: Reflections on the film "The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow."<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"by Andre E. 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