I Have A Dream

The 1960's were one of the most significant decades in the twentieth century. The sixties were filled with new music, clothes, and an overall change in the way people acted, but most importantly it was a decade filled with civil rights movements. On February 1, 1960, four black freshmen from North Carolina Agriculture and Technical College in Greensboro went to a Woolworth's lunch counter and sat down politely and asked for service. The waitress refused to serve them and the students remained sitting there until the store closed for the night. The very next day they returned, this time with some more black students and even a few white ones. They were all well dressed, doing their homework, while crowds began to form outside the store.

 

This story reflects the movement as a whole and shown through out the films created in the sixties, "Nothin' But A Man", "Dutchman". These films show the struggle of blacks trying to equate into white america. It is easy to view "Nothin' But A Man" as a piece of entertainment, but the movie not only exudes hope, it also is an American neo-realistic masterpiece. Ivan Dixon gives an oscar worthy performance, where his eyes seem to talk more than his mouth. He shows us the ordinary side of heroics, and gives way to a self affirmed consciousness to black people. The events of hopelessness and confusion are only brought around with the conclusion of hope.

This movie parallels the time that the assassinations of important leaders took placed. The deaths of John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr., all happened in the 60's.

Acts were passed in the 60's though that supported the movement, such as Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.