Documentary sheds light on Jim Crow era

On Tuesday, Feb. 20, students gathered in the architecture building's auditorium to watch "The Strange Demise of Jim Crow," in celebration of black history past and present.

The documentary was sponsored by the Office of Equal Opportunities and is based on the struggles of segregation that blacks faced while living in Houston, Texas.

In Aug. 1959, Eldrewey Sterns, a law student at Texas Southern University was pulled over while driving down a dirt road in Houston. The officers beat and arrested Sterns for having a white woman's picture in his wallet. At a time when blacks lived by the Jim Crow Laws this event caused an uproar in Houston's black community.

Texas students organized one of the first non-violent sit-ins in the southern region. On March 4, 1960 four TSU students walked into the local eatery and quietly sat down. The owner closed the eatery as more than 100 TSU students entered.

The students continued their protest when 48 students entered a coffee shop and were arrested for unlawful assembly. The state's highest court ruled in the students' favor.

The final stand for the desegregation of public facilities was on March 23, 1963 at a parade in celebration of the homecoming of astronaut, John H. Glenn. The plan was to interrupt the parade by marching and broadcasting nationwide unless the demands of integration were met. The non-violent way of protest helped to shape Houston into a city known for its diversity.

"I just hope blacks continue to break records and uplift others along the way,"stated sophomore Nicole Morris.

The documentary is part of a series that is taking place all throughout February. The purpose of this series is to "expose students to their historical past, to help them appreciate the rights they have today," stated Renee Williams, a representative of the Office of Equal Opportunities. Williams also hopes that the films will "help students change their behavior and communication with one another, and their use of language violent behavior.