Lessons of the Civil Rights Movement and Today

"How do we transfer the lessons learned from the civil rights movement to the next generation?"

On October 26th, a Community Conversation entitled Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize: Schools in the Civil Rights Movement and Today explored this question and more in a panel discussion with Dr. Terrence Roberts of the Little Rock Nine, Judith Vecchione, senior producer of Eyes on the Prize, the landmark documentary about the civil rights movement, and Sandra Robbie, producer of Mendez vs. Westminster: For All the Children about one Mexican-American family's fight to desegregate California schools. The Los Angeles office of Facing History and Ourselves and The Allstate Foundation presented the event as part of a national series on issues of civic responsibility and tolerance.

Students, teachers, and community members were inspired by the stories of individuals taking a stand to make their communities a better place. Many were unfamiliar with the 1947 Mendez case, which desegregated schools in California and was a precedent for the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education. The Mendez story and its connection to the events told in Eyes on the Prize underscored what can be gained when people recognize their common humanity and goals rather than allowing difference to be a cause of division.

Judith Vecchione said she hopes the rebroadcast of Eyes on the Prize, which hasn't been shown in over a decade, encourages more conversations about the ways individuals and communities can make a difference. Facing History has created a study guide to accompany the Eyes on the Prize series and is conducting workshops nationwide as part of a national outreach campaign being managed by Blackside, the series producer.

When asked what motivated him to integrate Central High School in 1957, Dr. Roberts said, "It was the right thing to do ...and when I thought about the work and sacrifice of the people who went before me, I couldn't not take my turn."

The story of the integration of Little Rock Central High School is told in episode two of Eyes on the Prize. It is also one of the three stories portrayed in Facing History's national traveling Choosing to Participate exhibition and the accompanying study guide. Facing History's publication, Choices in Little Rock, deepens the exploration of citizenship in a democracy and has been adopted by the Boston Public Schools.

Community Conversations is a national speaker series offered by Facing History and The Allstate Foundation that examines issues of civic responsibility.