History has a tendency to repeat itself. Whether it’s the bell-bottom jeans of the ‘70s or clove gum of the ‘50s and ‘60s, we can attribute much of today’s society to past generations.
To the same accord, the Occupy protests that have sprung up across the U.S. closely resemble protests of the ‘60s.
Though the objective of the two movements certainly varies — one focused on ending the war in Vietnam and the protests of today seek to end corporate greed — it’s hard not to see other resemblances.
The London Free Press noted the same thing, saying the Occupy movement extended to college campuses and “unleashed what some historians call the biggest surge in campus activism since the 1960s.”
The Occupy movement regenerated the music of the good ole days. David Cosby and Graham Nash, well-known musicians of the Woodstock days, performed at an Occupy Wall Street demonstration earlier this month, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
“An air of nostalgia — and the smell of marijuana — wafted over the crowd,” the article wrote.
Exercising the First Amendment right to protest peacefully and fighting for a noble cause are good principles to resurrect in today’s movements. In this case, history repeated itself and there is no reason to be ashamed.
However, history also often tends to repeat itself in ugly and repulsive ways.
Recently, a Baptist church in Kentucky voted to not recognize the membership of interracial couples, the Associated Press reported.
The vote came after Stella Harville brought her black boyfriend to her family’s church in Kentucky. Harville and Ticha Chikuni performed a musical duet for the congregation.
After the performance, a member of the church told Harville’s father that Chikuni was not allowed to sing there anymore.
And one week ago, members of the congregation voted 9-6 to bar interracial couples from joining the church.
“Parties of such marriages will not be received as members, nor will they be used in worship services and other church functions, with the exception being funerals,” the church announced.
The vote is another throwback to the ‘60s, but unfortunately, it’s one we can be far less proud of.
In the landmark Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia, bans on interracial marriages was overturned and found unconstitutional.
Though many states allowed interracial marriages earlier, it wasn’t until a 1967 the High Court’s decision forced all states to legally embrace interracial marriages.
The thought that some people are trying to reestablish the racist practices is disheartening and scary.
It seems that equality and fairness are part of common sense. But apparently that sense is not so common. For some, it’s acceptable to ban a couple from practicing their faith or participating in church services because of their race.
I’ve never been a big history fan, but it’s important to know our history and recognize when it repeats itself.
In some cases, recognizing past trends and events can be encouraging and empowering. They’re a small reminder of how far we’ve come.
In other cases, they show how far we still have to go.
Reach the columnist at eeeaton@asu.edu
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