Comparing Civil Rights Struggles Within the Americas

“Voices from the March on Washington,” co-written by George Ella Lyon and J. Patrick Lewis, is a novel of poetry that gives students an idea of the thoughts that were running through the heads of the different people in the great march for civil rights.

After reading excerpts from this book in Spanish Honors 2 and Spanish 3, students were asked if they could see any similarities between those that they read about and members of society from certain points in South American history. 

They watched videos of the Argentine cartoneros, or garbage pickers, and a protest called a cacerolazo from the dramatic collapse of Argentina's economy in 2000-01. They identified themes of economic discrimination and the need for justice present in both discourses. One particular detail that struck them was the lack of proper employment for level of education attained. They also identified similarities with the presence of struggle of a non-violent nature.

Students are currently learning about the 36-year Guatemalan Civil War. Those who read “Voices from the March” closely have already asked in class why there wasn't a great march like we had here in the United States. They wondered why the Mayan people have not been able to demand equality with those speaking Spanish in their society. 

Because of their reading of “Voices from the March,” they have asked about employment possibilities and whether the Mayans experienced discrimination. When they learned that at times in the past, the government has refused to set up schools in remote villages or to teach Spanish to the Mayans, it made the reason for the March on Washington very clear, as many of them know that separate but equal did not work—so no school at all is even worse.

“Voices from the March on Washington” made hard realities clear for my students in a personal way. Knowing the possible thoughts of those marching helped them understand what might have been going on in the heads of the people in other countries at different points in time. 

Even more importantly, their reading of the material led one student to say that it seemed that well-organized, non-violent resistance to an unjust state of affairs had better immediate and future effects. 

Hooray for these students who are such deep thinkers!


Editor's Note: "Voices from the March on Washington" is this year's chosen novel for Floyd County's One Book, Many Voices reading initiative. Click here for a news story about an upcoming lecture in Rome with co-author George Ella Lyon.