Cyberactivism

Professor of Communications, Sarah Worley came in to our class to speak about cyberactivism. I found the topic to be very interesting. Is there such a thing as cyberactivism? Is it possible for people to be active players in social justice movements from the comfort of their own home? There have been "online marches" in which people all sign up completely online to participate. There have been times when tons of people call, fax, or email the government at the exact same time to clog up the system so that a specific bill can't be voted on.

In my opinion, this is a form of nonviolence. The people that participate are not cowards, because with modern technology, almost anyone can be tracked anywhere. It will be interesting to see what direction social movements move in with new technologies.

My Soul is Rested

One of the stories in Howell Raines' "My Soul is Rested" that has particularly stood out to me so far, is the story of Franklin McCain. McCain was one of the students that started the student sit-in movement. The courage that he and his friends had that first day at the Woolworth's lunch counter amazes me.

In my opinion, the student sit-ins movement was one of the most important parts of the Civil Rights Movement in the South. The movement spread to many different cities throughout the U.S. As the movement gained momentum, students started having shifts for the sit-ins. This movement drove out restaurant's business, as black and white students would come into the restaurant the moment that they opened, and occupy every seat for the entire day. Through their nonviolent protest, restaurants had no other choice than to desegregate lunch counters and restaurants, unless they wanted to lose all business. Overall, the student sit-in movement had great success.