Dare Not Walk Alone

DARE NOT WALK ALONE UNCOVERS THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE "WAR OF IDEAS" IN ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA THAT LED TO THE PASSAGE OF THE FIRST CIVIL RIGHTS BILL ON JULY 2ND 1964...... AND THE CONTINUED WAR 40 YEARS LATER WHERE "WE ARE STILL LOSING LIVES EVERYDAY..War was declared on the injustice of the Jim Crow South by millions of Americans. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was determined to use non-violence as his weapon to change a Nation. In 1964 he raised a non-violent army and brought his ideas to lay siege against the racist establishment in St. Augustine, Fl.The city's beaches, streets, and businesses became the battlefields for this epic struggle. However, the swimming pool of one small motel, at the center of town, proved to be the tuning point in the conflict. The battle over who this motel would serve became the primary objective for both sides of the racial divide. In the face of repeated integration attempts, its.. segregationists policies represented the South..s unwillingness to give any ground on racial equality. The motel was owned by James Brock. Throughout the summer of 1964 Brock found himself in a one on one show down with Dr. King. The drama was a daily skirmish on the steps of his motel which resulted in the violent arrest of many including Dr. King.But the defining moment was when James Brock poured acid into the motel..s swimming pool that was filled with young black and white demonstrators. Photographs taken of this horrific incident made front-page news around the world and helped break the filibuster in the U.S. Senate, leading to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, known as the Open Accommodations Act. This was the first piece of civil rights legislation.The film looks at the reflections, then and now, of the ideologies of Dr. King and his supporters, against those of the segregationist James Brock. This leads us to ask the ultimate question, who were the winners and losers in our great battle for racial equality?With 1,000,000 black men in jail nationally and with 1/3 of St. Augustine..s African Americans living below the poverty line, was the war of ideas won?Although the film celebrates a moving moment of racial reconciliation in 2004, it also looks closely at casualties of the continued war for equality. To do this we follow several African American teenagers in St. Augustine who dream of a better life while trying to survive impossible home situations, failing schools, and an unfair criminal justice system. Their escape from these harsh realities is to turn to the world of Hip Hop, which they feel is their only voice in society. It is our experience that the vast majority of young people have little or no knowledge about the Civil Rights Movement and the fight has therefore become irrelevant. This film attempts to bridge the gap between the ideals of the Civil Rights generation and the new struggles of the Hip Hop generation.At a time when most Americans feel like issues of race and equality were solved in the 1960..s, Dare Not Walk Alone reminds us that the War of Responsibility for poverty, education and justice, is still ours to win.I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4Check out Helen's Story and continue to help the cause by visiting www.RosaLoves.com !! Two Limited Edition T-Shirts have been designed by Jeremy Dean and are available for purchase!! Help us reach our goal of raising $5000 for Helen and her family!!