I'll Fly Away

So, I've been watching this absolutely amazing TV show called I'll Fly Away. I watched it when i was a kid, back in the early 90's when it was a new show. It's about a family who lived in the south during the civil rights movement. The dad of the home is the district attorney, and struggles with where he stands on different issues, and what battles he should fight. His three kids offer three perspectives--the oldest, open minded and willing to cross lines a little, the middle daughter, a snitty 13-year-old who thinks nothing's a big deal and the world should revolve around her, and the 6-year-old who asks a lot of questions and doesn't understand the ways of the world. Their house worker, a black woman, is also a main character, and we see much of her life and hear her reflections at the end of every episode.
Even as a middle schooler, I would watch the show on Sunday nights, enjoying the drama even when I didn't fully understand it. It changed my perspective then, and I like the show all the more now that I really understand everything. I think everyone would. Forget Roots! This show gives life to all of the stories that we heard whenever we studied the movement in school.
Growing up in the middle of the middle, I just can't even fathom the battle that happened. I can't imagine what it would have been like to stand up, for the first time, and risk being hurt or killed, just because I wanted to be treated with respect.
I wonder, if I'd lived then, what I would have done with my own influence. If I would have even thought much of it, or if I'd have sat back and watched it all unfold without lifting a finger for either camp. I don't know what i would have done. All I know is, having watched a few of these episodes, I have a new respect for those brave people who decided enough was enough--the people who still do it, every day, around the world. And I hope, if the chance ever arises and I have the chance to stand up and fight for something I really believe in, that I'll do it with all of my strength.