Civil Disobedience Training: How Black People Were trained Not to React to Taunting and Harassment During Civil Rights Movement

In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to relinquish her bus seat to a white passenger 1955, he was arrested and charged with a violation of Chapter 6, Section 11 segregation law of the Montgomery City code. People like Rosa Parks were trained in a civil disobedience workshop to not react to harassment and irritation. During the civil rights moments, workshops and training institutes were developed around the country to train black people, especially young boys and girls to avoid chaos. When you are dealing with extremely dangerous social disobedience training is necessary to avoid chaos. This training has now become commonplace for protestors.

Here below are some historical photos that show a glimpse inside these workshops.

#1 African-American student Virginius B. Thornton receiving tolerance training before picketing, 1960.

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#2 Volunteers Civil Right activists undergo tolerance training in preparation for ‘sit-in’ demonstrations, Petersburg, Virginia, May 1960.

NAACP student advisor David Gunter (standing left) and Leroy Hill (standing right) blow smoke into the face of Virginius Thornton.

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#3 Leroy Hill (left) and another man blow smoke into the face of an unidentified volunteer, 1960.

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#4 NAACP student advisor David Gunter (standing left) and Leroy Hill (standing right) blow smoke into the face of Virginius Thornton.

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#5 Trainers use newspaper to swat the heads of volunteers to prepare them for some of the types of harassment that they will likely encounter, 1960.

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#6 Preparing for non-violent civil disobedience by training for sit-in harassment, in Petersburg, 1960.

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#7 Preparing for non-violent civil disobedience by training for sit-in harassment, 1960.

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#8 Eve Arnold being trained to not react to smoke blown in her face and having hair pulled, 1960.

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#9 Eve Arnold being trained to not react to smoke blown in her face, 1960.

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#10 Preparing for non-violent civil disobedience, Petersburg, 1960.

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