Towhatextentcananindividualsactionschangethevaluesandattitudesofasociety?

HillaryJong
Publicfiguresareabletochangesocietysvaluesandattitudesbytheirinspirationalspeechestoprotestsof
similarviewsasamajority.MartinLutherKingwasablackAmericanBaptistministerandsocialactivist,
mostlyknownforspeechin1963IhaveadreamthatimpactedtheCivilRightsmovementin1965.Hewas
abletoimpactsocietybyhisspeechesofharmonyandintegrationofwhitesandblacksthatmadepeople
condemnorthinkabouttheatrocitiesintheracismofblackpeople.Thisimpactedtheirattitudesasthousandsof
blackpeoplelookeduptohimasaleaderforhopeandralliedinprotestswithhim.Withamajorityofpeopleon
hisside,evenwithpersecutionfromthewhitepeople,hewasstillabletomaketheworldasasocietyseethe
prejudiceandallowedforCivilRightsActstobeestablishedintheUnitedStates.Comparably,WilliamCooper
anAustralianfigureisknownforspeakingoutforIndigenousrightsmovementinprotests,writingpetitionsand
speeches.ThisallowedhimtobeoneofthefiguresthatcontributedtoAustraliasIndigenousrightsafterthe
brutalityofAboriginalsbyWhiteAustraliansinthe1900s.Theseindividualshaveimpactedsocietysvalues
andattitudesofrespectandcompassioninthelatergenerationsprotectingeachpersonsrights;whereeveryone
isequalnomatterrace,genderorreligion.
MartinLutherKingsfamilyhadalonghistoryofbeingintheBaptistministry,butKingalwayshad
determinationinfreedomforhisrace,soin1954hebecameamemberoftheNationalAssociationforthe
AdvancementofColoredpeople.HealsowastheleaderofthefirstNegrononviolentdemonstrationinUnited
Statesofthattime,whichledtoaboycottthatlasted382daysandanActwherewhitesandblacksareequal
whenridingbuses.Duringthisboycott,hebecametheNegroleaderofthefirstrankeventhoughhewas
arrested,abusedandhishousewasbombed.HewaspresidentoftheSouthernChristianLeadershipConference
in1957,tohelpdevelopthecivilrightsmovement.HisidealsfromChristianityhelpedhisideasandleadership
fortheintegrationofwhitesandblacks.DuringhisleadershiphisspeecheshavewenttoalloverAmerica,
addressingissuesandeventsofconflict,injusticeorprejudiceofblacks,whileevenwritingbooksandarticles
inhiselevenyears.HismassiveprotestthatheledinBirmingham,AlabamainspiredLetterfroma
BirminghamJailknownbythewholeworld,pivotedtheNegrorevolution,inwhichhehopedNegroeswere
ableregisterasvoters.Hisinspiringwordsfromlettershowthathewascompelledtocarrythegospelof
freedombeyondmyownhometown.(King,1963)HeaddressestheinjusticeofNegros:
Therecanbenogainsayingthefactthatracialinjusticeengulfsthiscommunity.Birminghamisprobablythe
mostthoroughlysegregatedcityintheUnitedStates.Itsuglyrecordofbrutalityiswidelyknown.Negroeshave
experiencedgrosslyunjusttreatmentinthecourts.TherehavebeenmoreunsolvedbombingsofNegrohomes
andchurchesinBirminghamthaninanyothercityinthenation.Thesearethehard,brutalfactsofthecase.On
thebasisoftheseconditions,Negroleaderssoughttonegotiatewiththecityfathers.Butthelatterconsistently
refusedtoengageingoodfaithnegotiation.
(King,April1963)
ThisisanexcerptofhisIhaveadreamspeech;itsaharmoniousspeechaddressing:
Ihaveadreamthatmyfourlittlechildrenwillonedayliveinanationwheretheywillnotbejudgedbythe
coloroftheirskinbutbythecontentoftheircharacter.
Ihaveadreamtoday!
Ihaveadreamthatoneday,downinAlabama,withitsviciousracists,withitsgovernorhavinghislips
drippingwiththewordsof"interposition"and"nullification"onedayrightthereinAlabamalittleblackboys
andblackgirlswillbeabletojoinhandswithlittlewhiteboysandwhitegirlsassistersandbrothers.
Ihaveadreamtoday!
Ihaveadreamthatonedayeveryvalleyshallbeexalted,andeveryhillandmountainshallbemadelow,the
roughplaceswillbemadeplain,andthecrookedplaceswillbemadestraight;"andthegloryoftheLordshall
berevealedandallfleshshallseeittogether."
Thisisourhope,andthisisthefaiththatIgobacktotheSouthwith.
(King,August1963)

KingthroughhisactivismintheCivilRightsmovementsisablechangepeoplesvaluesandattitudeasheopens
theireyesoftheharmonyandequalityofallraces.

WilliamCooperisanAustralianfigurethatcontributedtotheIndigenousrights,influencingsocietytorealise
theprejudiceagainstAboriginalsinthe1900s.Hewenttomeetingswithpoliticianstodiscusstheissues,wrote
petitionsandleadingcampaignswithprotestswhichmadehimknownforhiseffortsinAustralianhistory.
CoopergrewupruralAustralianearMurray,andinhis20sconvertedtoChristianity,whichmotivatedhimto
nourishinactivismforhisrace.In1933,heissuedapetitiontoKingGeorgewhereheasksthatthat the
original inhabitants and their heirs and successors should be adequately cared for in formal English language.
He also discusses to prevent the extinction of the Aboriginal race and give better conditions for all, granting us
the power to propose a member of parliament, of our own blood or a white man known to have studied our
needs and to be in sympathy with our race, to represent us in the Federal Parliament.
[This petition appears as document 11 in Bain Attwood and Andrew Markus, Thinking Black: William
Cooper and the Australian Aborigines League, Aboriginal Studies Press, 2004, pp 3536]
Even with Coopers efforts of the petition, King George did not have the power to change the constitution as
only the Federal Parliament could decide it. Although this was a downfall, Cooper managed to parade protests
especially being the first private protest and petition condemning the Kristallnacht in Germany in 1938 of the
persecution of Jews by the Nazis, even though obviously the German Consulate didnt accept the petition. His
courage of speaking out against the Jews, made him get recognised after his death as a tribute was made with the
prime minister of Australia and Israel attending the ceremony in 2010. He also changed peoples values and
attitudes by joining with a major activist Jack Patten in a rally of the 1930s and establishing the Day of
Mourning marking the colonisation for Australia. Therefore, Cooper is able to change the values and attitudes
of society by his efforts of speaking out to the communities of Australia of Indigenous rights, and making
known of the racism.
CooperandKinghavesimilaritiesintheirupbringing,motivationandprocessofachievingtherightsoftheir
raceforAustraliaandAustraliarespectively.Bothpublicfigurespivotedandcontributedtheirracesrights,
wherebothhavewitnessedthebrutality.Bothwerebroughtupinreligioushomesandhadaspiritual
upbringing,whichwasoneoftheirmotivationsofactivism.KingandCooperspokeoutagainsttheprejudices
throughpetitionsorlettersandspeeches.TheirmethodofprotestingispeacefulwhereCooperhadpetitioned
thegovernmentofficials.ThedifferenceisthatCooperislessknown,thoughhewasactiveinestablishingthe
Indigenousrights,butKingwasknownworldwideandinAmericanhistoryandevenaffectedtheCivilRights
Act.Cooperhadsmallmassesofcrowdthatwouldsupporthiscauseinprotestsbuthewasmoreintowriting
petitions,opposedtoKingwhowasmoreknownforhisspeeches.Bothpublicfiguresareabletochange
peoplesvaluesandattitudesbytheircourageofspeakingthetruthtopowerfulauthoritieswhowerecapableof
arrestingandabusingthem,butalsothroughthepublicityinbrutalitiesofIndigenousorAfricanAmericans.
Inconclusion,anindividualsactions,supportedbyamajority,areabletochangethevaluesandattitudesof
society.TheattitudesofprejudiceandracismofAfricanAmericansandAboriginalsisexposedbythese
activistsandchangedpopulationattitudesandvaluestocompassion,empathy,loveandintegration.Kingand
CooperareabletoinspirehistorywiththeircontributiontofightingforCivilRightsandIndigenousrights
respectively,thatlatergenerationsareabletolookbackinretrospectandappreciatethefreedomandrightsthey
havenow.

Bibliography:
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https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
Biography.(n.d.).RetrievedNovember27,2015,fromhttp://www.biography.com/people/martinlutherkingjr
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