The Activist's Survival Guide

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Joann Castle is a lifelong Detroit activist, civil rights veteran and working mother, with deep roots as an anthropologist and 27 years as a community health professional. Her commitment to preserving activist history and learning from our mistakes led her to write, “What My Left Hand Was Doing; Lessons from a Grassroots Activist, a Detroit Memoir.” Castle is the creator of “The Activist’s Survival Guide,” founder of Against the Tide Books, and our newly evolved business entitled: The Activist’s Survival Guide.

Social Justice and Freedom Struggles

A Brief History of the Civil Rights Movement:

The Civil Rights movement began in the 1955 with the brave mother of 14 year-old, Emmett Till. Mamie Till Bradley believed that Americans, seeing with their own eyes, the brutality of segregation, would be more likely to support the cause of civil rights. She insisted that the whole nation bear witness to her son’s brutal killing by white supremacists. While the perpetrators were found not guilty by a jury of peers, Emmett’s mother distributed photos of her son’s mutilated body to African American periodicals, inspiring a new generation of African American activists to join the cause, transforming Civil Rights into a modern movement led by blacks fighting for their freedom.

Black Clergy played a significant role during those years, including Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr, who used a new form of protest based upon the principles of non-violent resistance. The approach was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. King deemed this a good approach to challenge racial segregation in the U.S.  Dr. King led the 381-day, Montgomery Bus Boycott with Rosa Parks, and the 1963 March on Washington where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.  The Black agenda included the right to vote, fair trials, government services, public education and the right to use public facilities.

While the struggle for Civil Rights continues, according to Wikipedia, “The Civil Rights Period” is noted to be 1954 – 1968 and ended with the 1963 assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr, who had led the movement. The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965. During the course of his first 100 days in office, Donald Trump removed Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK Day) from the list of U. S. holidays.

Little known fact: In 1963, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. led the “Walk to Freedom” march and rally at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan. It was here that he tried out his “I Have a Dream” speech, prior to his famous speech at the March on Washington.