The Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision ushered in a season that opened the door for African-Americans to have access to an integrated, quality educational experience that was not limited by the barriers that were operative during the era of segregation. Although the law created the means for access to excellent education, there was phenomenal resistance to allowing African Americans into schools that were predominately white.

In Little Rock and other cities throughout America, the National Guard had to be present to protect the lives of those who sought nothing more than an opportunity to fulfill their dreams. In higher education the problem was equally evident as Charlayne Hunter tried to enter the University of Alabama and James Meredith sought admission to the University of Mississippi. In every case, the law was dismissed by those who were determined to maintain the racist and classist infrastructure of America, and they fought savagely to continue the principle of inequality and separation of the races. Through determination, dedication and a sense that this God-given right should not be denied, all over America, blacks began to go to the school doors with their children, and demand entry for the sake of their children.

In the midst of all of this, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks made a decision that she would no longer ride at the back of a bus while there were empty seats in the front. Her confident attitude brought a reaction that was unprecedented and unexpected. Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr. was called in by the MontgomeryImprovement Association to lead thecharge in challenging the establishment in bringing an end to racial discrimination.

This civil rights movement began to change America in a more dramatic way than could have been imagined. The restraint and determination of those who marched was extraordinary. As a child, I remember how my grandparents, parents, and so many black folk in Memphis praised the young visionary preacher from Montgomery, and joined in bus and department store boycotts with a fervor that announced their intolerance of anything less than civil liberty.

The focus of both leaders and protesters was astonishing. There was a sense that if rights were not won at that time, they might never come. No one can deny that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was leader par excellence. White America was not ready f or a twenty-five year old Black man who had earned a Ph.D. in Social Ethics at one of their great universities. Since they perceived most African Americans as not having the intellectual capacity or ability to organize for themselves, they were taken aback by this young, bold, and competent individual. His language skills and ability to articulate issues was of such great magnitude, that it pricked the very conscience of the most avid racist while inspiring the hopes of a people who boldly proclaimed, “We shall overcome someday!”

By the sixties, a voter rights act was passed, the congress passed laws for fair housing, and for workers’ rights that theoretically eliminated discrimination. Soon the Vietnam War began, and black communities were once again suffering the consequences of America’s warped sense of justice as many of the young men were now shipped off to a war. It was King’s voice that once again spoke out against the injustices of this war and called America to a place of accountability for the lives that were being lost and permanently altered by this immoral war. Clearly, King’s religious commitments and his strong sense of morality made him the conscience of America. His sermons, speeches and actions all pointed to his underlying belief that all should live together in equal personhood. He taught us to believe that in the struggle between good and evil, good must always prevail.

It is his teaching that still calls us to remember that with civil rights comes a responsibility to live in communitywith each other and do all that we can to build up ourselves, our people and our communities.

Rev. Flake is co-pastor and Women's Ministry advisor of Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral is Queens, NY.