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  2020-05-28

  Learning about the Civil Rights Movement During the Pandemic

  I am currently taking a Civil Rights Movement history course. Due to the pandemic, the original in-class mode of learning has been converted to online learning. Although the class has only been in session for three days, I have gained a lot of new knowledge about this ever-evolving movement. After my online class session ended for the day, I decided to take a nap while my mother was watching PBS. However, my ears perked up when the program she was watching, called North Carolina Weekend, began a segment on Nina Simone. Simone used her skills as a pianist, singer, and songwriter to voice the plight of the African American community during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. The segment discussed her contributions to the music industry in addition to an exciting announcement. Her birthplace was going to become a historical landmark in Tyron, North Carolina. Additionally, a park in that same city had already debuted a statue of her in 2010. They call the location where the statue is at the Nina Simone Plaza. I think the pandemic has given people a lot more time to learn, reflect, and react to things going on in the world. Learning about the extraordinary people and events of the past Civil Rights Movement helps me to see that there is another movement emerging (e.g. the recent outcry in response to Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd's deaths), or, to show that the Civil Rights Movement never died but was only silenced for decades.