Civil Rights

Credit: Charles Moore Photographer of the Civil Rights Movement, Dies at 79. Claire O’Neill. March 16, 2010. Photo Stories from NPR.

It’s truly amazing how Moore was able to capture moments that represent such a significant point in history. Some of the images he took we can look at and wonder what was going on in his head when he took those photos. For example, some of the images depict scenarios that people experienced where they couldn’t take much action to stop, because it was a police response. But speaking more generally, I wanted to touch more on the ultimate goal of the civil rights movement. The mission was to have equal treatment for African Americans in the United States, and to have them stand by everyone else and receive the equal amount of rights and to be treated as nothing less than the population as a whole. Clearly, this image does a wonderful job depicting as to what Martin Luther King Jr. set out to accomplish during the time he was alive. He wanted to be able to stand by his fellow white citizens and be seen as equal and the same as them, regardless of color. Although, most of these photos are a little sad and upsetting, this one in particular represents more of a happier theme. It shows that his efforts were successful, even though there were a substantial amount of unfortunate circumstances going on. His efforts should not be under appreciated, and the fact that he was able to stand by these white men with a happy expression is phenomenal and goes to show how much of an impact he had on society at the time, and even now.