Red Line Project

The purpose of this action project was to experience organizing and realizing a nonviolent intervention in my own city, practicing Satyagraha with the real world implications. In Global Peace we learned about Satyagraha which is Gandhi's principle for nonviolence. Satya means truth, graha means insistence in favor with the truth. Satyagraha means insistence of the truth. We used Satyagraha to understand how to make a nonviolent action happen.What I learned during this action project was to not be afraid of what you believe in. If you think something should be a different way protest or use any nonviolent way to solve the problem. I used a sheet of 198 methods of nonviolence actions to help me find a action that I want to take, which was number 179- Alternative Social institutions. What was most challenging about this action project was going out in the public to complete my action. What I enjoyed most was taking action in my own city!

  My action project was to document segregation and violence. I pick this action because there is still segregation in Chicago that many people don't know about. I want to change that, I did my action project with one of my class mate RD. We both feel really strong about this topic and wanted to find away to stop it. There should not be any segregation in Chicago all people should be equal no race should be treated any lower. Segregation should have stopped a long time ago but is still going on. People should care because segregation causes violence. I think nobody should treat any one lower because of what skin color, race, or religion. Segregation causes violence by people being separated and thinking they own a certain neighborhood. People thinking one side of the neighborhood is bad because of what race lives there when its just how the public marks the neighborhood as, and people not knowing segregation causes the violence.


We planned to schedule a date to take our action which was Wednesday Dec 11, 2013 on a FE day. We came up with a plan that we got inspired by a organization that is called "The Red Line Project" their form of nonviolence is to show that there is problems and violence on the red line. "Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, and The Red Line Project helps readers better understand and connect with them. The site covers news and urban issues in neighborhoods located near Chicago's Red Line El stops". Our plan was to show that there is still segregation in our city. We went on the red line our first stop was Chicago and the train was so packed. As we started going on down less white people were getting on. By Sox-35th the train was empty. On 47th there was mostly African Americans, we documented the train ride. We wanted to show that people do not go by 47th because of the people and history, which causes segregation.

                                                                                                Created by JV 

I think our action went really smooth the success was getting to actually do our action during school rather than going after. Another success was getting all the footage that we needed I really like how our video came out. When people were looking at us on the train felt so great because we really stood out. When we got to tell them about our action felt good because a lot of people were surprised to hear what we were taking action on. The only thing that I would change would be communicating more to the public. Overall my action went really good and I will definitely do it again!

"The Red Line Project". redlineproject.org. 2013. Web. December 9, 2013.

Interview-Mrs Smith

The purpose of this piece was to do an  interview with a person who is at least 20 years older than me. I interviewed my neighbor who has been through racism and took part in Sit-ins. I chose to interview Mrs Smith because I think she is a very brave women. The most difficult part of this interview was not being able to record her or take pictures for privacy.  I am most proud of my interview I think it went very well. I am glad I got a chance to talk to somebody who went though segregation. 

FARMER, James (2013) Sit-ins are making a difference.

I interviewed my neighbor Mrs Smith. She is 71 years old she has experienced segregation. I interviewed her because she took action and participated in sit-ins. She has experienced a lot of racism as she grew up. She was raised in the south Atlanta Georgia, where there was a lot of racism in the 1940-1960's. I asked her multiple questions about her past. One event she told me that really stood out was when she did sit-ins. It stood out because the movie we watched “Freedom song” they did sit-ins. To know that my neighbor did that is so inspiring and I think she is a very brave women.

What I have learned about sarvodaya in this interview is nobody at that time raised or try to help African Americans. If a white person try to help they would have gotten arrested or beaten. Segregation, and apartheid mean the same meaning. From this interview I learned that there was a lot of segregation and apartheid in the south. What I have learned about Mrs Smith is she is a very brave women. At a young age she wanted to make a difference for her family and her future. She knew what whites were doing to African Americans for so long, was wrong and she wanted to stop that. She was 19 years old when she took part in the sit-ins. Four other people joined her they were also 19 years old. One question I ask her was “How did you feel when you walked in the dinner? What happened ?” Her answer was “I was scared I walked in without saying nothing. We all sat down my friends talked but I did not. Three white men and one woman came up to us and started cursing. One called us racist names he told me I was a black ashtray and lit out his cigarette on my arm. These memories will stay with me forever.” 

I respect Mrs Smith so much. I respect anyone who has been through racism. Sarvodaya deepened for me because it means so much to our world. Sarvodaya means rise together Mrs Smith rise with many others for their future. Africans Americans got what they truly deserved nobody should never get treated that way.