On a separate note, since we are talking about testimonies and the Jim Crow South and the racism of the past, I want to share a different perspective, one most of us have not thought about and how history has not changed as much as we have hoped. When I was in the UO, I majored in Sociology. My favorite professor was Chuck Hunt, who would tell us stories about how all of his knuckles were broken during peaceful protests that the police pushed too far in the 1970’s or his numerous arrests for protests throughout the year. He was a very engaging teacher. I graduated from college 13 years ago and there is one lecture that still resonates with me today. We had a guest lecturer, and forgive me, I don’t remember his name, come to talk to us. This gentleman was probably in his 60s or 70s. He came to talk to us about his life growing up in the south as a young black man. He did not tell us anything that we had not already heard. Until he spoke about moving to San Francisco in the 1950's. He explained that in the South, racism was evident- “separate but equal”. When he moved to San Francisco, racism was still going strong, but it was hidden. There were no labels of where he could and could not go. This gentleman went on to speak about how much more dangerous it was for him to not know and stated at least in the South he knew what was considered “acceptable” and could keep himself safe. His story from 70 years ago is STILL relevant today. Racism is still around. It’s just hidden and dangerous. Before I saw the video of George Floyd I justified it in my head “it had to be an accident. Restraints can get dangerous”. After seeing the video, there was no accident. The actions of that white police officer are eerily similar to the police officers of the past. And that makes me very, very sad. We as a nation are failing each other.

Unfortunately when I read Ms. Hamer's testimony, nothing really stands out because it is the same account we have read or heard a million times before by a million different people all bearing one thing in common, the color of their skin. Her testimonies of brutality against her and her peers were so common at that time, that it was acceptable for law enforcement to beat black people in the jail. Life in the Jim Crow South often saw brutalities committed against the black population. The KKK was so prevalent in the south that many white males in positions of power, including law enforcement and politics were members of the KKK or influenced by them. Beatings and lynchings were considered the social norm in the Jim Crow South in order to keep the black population "in line", which included keeping the black population from voting. By keeping black people as second class citizens and not allowing them to vote allowed the racist white southerners to stay in power. Ms. Hamer's testimony is an important piece in the Black Freedom Struggle because it documents that no matter what horrible things happened to Ms. Hamer, she would not be silenced. Despite being beaten on multiple occasions, Ms. Hamer demonstrated that she would back down to the demands of the racist south. She not only registered to vote, but took steps to register others to vote as well. Ms. Hamer's televised testimony would have reached millions of Americans, despite President Johnson's attempt to foil her airtime. That televised testimony would inspire other black Americans and also force white Americans to address the reality of an extremely racist and dangerous Jim Crow South.