1964--the year I was 14. Race riots and injustice in the US
Where is Justice?
When American president John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963, I was so confused and naive about the meaning of this act that I saw it as simply inexplicable, the work of a person whose was mentally incompetent.
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| June 1963: JFK addresses the nation on civil rights |
Nothing is my understanding of politics gave me the context needed to see this murder as a rational act by people who wanted to stop the progress that JFK was making in changing the social fabric of the USA.
My mother understood quite well what was going on, but I think she was trying to shield my innocence. We didn't have any deep discussions on the topic.
I kept my childish view that the assassination was a one-off, an aberration in a country that was fundamentally civilized.
1964: Racial inequality explodes in riots
By 1964, the Civil Rights movement was already
well under way, but most of the activity was centered on racial segregation in
the South rather than the sad state of affairs for African Americans all over
the US.
"We're so focused on the
desegregation of the South, we missed the national story of unequal opportunity
in schools, in labor markets, in housing markets, in political life that was a
national experience for African-Americans at the time," he says.” [
first article below]
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| Harlem race riots in 1964 |
Racially-engendered riots broke out in the summer of 1964 in New York City, Philadelphia, Jersey City and Chicago.
The kinds of violence that we are seeing in 2020 in American cities, often between police and civilians, were just as prevalent in 1964.
Have things improved much in 56 years? [second article below]
Not ready for
justice and equality
The 1963 assassination of John F Kennedy sent a clear message to anyone who understood politics, as his efforts to move toward racial equality and justice were cut short in the most brutal way.
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| Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson takes the oath of office after JFK's death. Jackie Kennedy stands beside him. |
The US was not ready for JFK's message:
“Elected president in 1960, Kennedy had campaigned on an idealistic
New Frontier platform. The president believed that by showing the world what a
free and democratic society had to offer, the United States could ensure the
defeat of Communism. Unfortunately, since Kennedy had taken office, the world
had seen the negative side of America -- intolerance and oppression.” [third
below article below]
So 1964 was an explosive year in the US, shaped
by political tensions that threatened to tear the country apart. What was
justice? Who could count on getting it? How could we change into a more fair
and just country? This last question was especially poignant in light of the US
stance on “godless communism” in the Soviet Union. We were better than them…but
were we?
Note: these three articles provide
more details and photos of the riots.
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/05/1964-civil-rights-battles/100744/
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/jfk-domestic-politics/
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