In the fight for civil rights in the US and in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, political organizers constantly struggled with the debate over non-violent versus violent strategies. Based on the class materials, discuss the arguments made for the movements remaining non-violent. Do you think non-violent protest/resistance strategies were strong enough to help topple these oppressive systems? Do you think occurrences of violent protest and/or the threat of violent protest was also a powerful way for organizers to fight against racial injustices? Ultimately, do you believe the fight against racial injustice must be non-violent, or is there a time when violent responses to oppression is appropriate?
