Growing Up Without Civil Rights

In my four years in Memphis I have learned just how important civil rights is, not only for this region but for the entire South. The events surrounding the civil war, the development of rock-and-roll and the death of Martin Luther King all come together to form a unique and strong identity, an identity that has a prominent effect on Memphians regardless of their ethnic background. But as the class ends, we as students must understand that this appreciation for civil rights is not universal, that in other parts of the United States civil rights movement is simply thrown into a larger pile of events and dates. I say this because I grew up in one of these communities.

            For 18 years I spent my life in Amarillo, Texas, an agricultural city made up of just under 200,000 citizens living in the most northern region of the state. But location and population were not the only ways in which Memphis and Amarillo stand apart. Looking back on my primary education, it is clear that civil rights was a topic mentioned only twice, once in middle school and once in high school, when students were required to learn about American History. Martin Luther King Day is not an event that is particularly important to the city. In fact, on January 20^th students are expected to attend classes and participate in after school extracurricular activities like any normal day. Those who wish participate in the memorialization of MLK day do so on their own time. In all actuality, January 20, 2011, was not only the first MLK day during my time at Rhodes, it was also the first time I witnessed a community celebrate the day. 

            For obvious reasons, my experience does not represent that of all out of state students, especially given that MLK day and civil rights are extremely important to communities throughout the South, but as we continue to discuss what civil rights means to Memphis, we must remember that for some communities, civil rights means very little or is defined not in the context of African American Civil Rights but rather contextualized as Latino American or Gay American. We should consider ourselves blessed, for we live in a community that fosters and promotes the types of discussions we have been having on a weekly basis. For this reason, individuals like me who will be returning to places like Amarillo, must go back with a willingness and motivation to start up conversations about race within those in their community. This is not just a discussion reserved only for communities in the Deep South, it is a discussion for an entire nation, one that we have a moral obligation to take part in.