One thing that created the Civil Rights as we know them today was people willing to stand up for what they believed were right and just. This is where civil rights marches came in and they are still held today. A civil rights march can be a peaceful demonstration where a group of people come together to make a statement about something they believe to be unjust or in violation of human rights or American rights under the Civil Rights Act. The 1960s had quite a few civil rights marches, many of which became an important part of American history.
Some examples of civil rights marches are:
• March for equality between races
• Quality between sexes
• When a child was shown injustice at a public school (denied entry without good reason, etc)
• Wrongful termination
• When someone is killed or injured because of race, religion, sex or other differences
• Hate crimes
• Hate crimes against the disabled
• Discrimination against the disabled
• New laws being passed or acts enacted in a state or federal level
While the principles behind these civil marches are good, they can sometimes get out of hand. Marches have turned into riots before and people have been injured or even killed. This is never the intent behind a civil rights march but since these are often very heated debates, people can let their emotions run away with them. Police usually try to watch these peaceful marches closely to help keep the peace.
Some civil rights marches for the disabled involved wheelchairing across cities or even states to raise awareness of a cause. Sometimes civil rights marches will take themselves directly to Washington, DC, the home of our capital to really get noticed. They can also happen outside Supreme Court when a controversial case is being tried.
If you plan to take part in a cause that you care about and join in a civil rights march, you can talk to leaders of certain organizations to find out when and where these will be taking place. Make sure you understand the purpose behind the march and that you take proper safety precautions.
It is also your responsibility to do your part to keep the march a peaceful event. Do not bring weapons or bait or encourage trouble makers at the event. You have a right to peacefully protest something you do not agree with and when done correctly, it can be important to creating needed change in the country. Without civil rights marches of the 60s, we have no idea when action would have finally been taken regarding the discrimination of blacks and others in our country.
