This film spoke to me in many ways. It is a film that was from the point of view of the ordinary men and women whose extraordinary actions launched a movement that changed the fabric of American life. Eyes on the Prize recounts the fight to end decades of discrimination and segregation. It is the story of the people -- young and old, male and female, northern and southern, who are trying to make a difference in the world. Whites and blacks in the 1960’s were not able to eat in the same places, drink out of the same water fountains, and sit together on the same bus. What moved me about this movie in particular, was probably the murder of Emmett Till. This innocent, black 14 year old kid was caught flirting with a white waitress. Four days later, two white men kidnapped Till, beat him and shot him in the head. The men were tried for murder, but an all-white, male jury acquitted them. This made an impact on America, and still does today. It was so awful that of course, it was a white jury. I could not imagine being black living in the south back then. The amount of racial slurs thrown around, and horrific actions happening to blacks makes me cringe to live in this world today. The Emmett Till murder trial brought to light the brutality of Jim Crow segregation in the South and was an early impetus of the African American civil rights movement. This movie brought to my attention how much privilege I really do have.
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