Montgomery Bus Boycott & Liberation Theology
The Montgomery Bus Boycott serves as the first large scale demonstration against segregation in the United States. The Boycott happened in Montgomery, Alabama, where African Americans Boycotted buses almost a year, following the seat segregation in the buses. The demonstration was heated by Rosa Part, who refused to give up her seat for a white passenger, albeit commands from the bus driver. She lost her case in court but worked together with other civil rights activists like Martin Luther King against this segregation.
Liberation theology is about fighting poverty and discrimination by addressing the issue from its source. This connects the relationship between Christianity and political activism as per the catholic traditions. It connects with the Montgomery bus boycott in that the African Americans confronted the segregation from its very source, by not boarding the buses. This way, if the boycott yields, the discrimination would be removed in a bid for the bus transport business to continue. Liberation theology has impacted today’s society whereby the solution of things is not done blindly, but rather, first tracing its source then addressing it thereof.
The arguments of Yilin Zhang are very accurate to the fact that Liberation theology seeks to undo selfish political gains for the more significant benefit of society. This is backed up by the fact that the boycott was against segregation best described as apartheid. The use of faith is also exact because religion forms a very integral part and influences decision making. There is a bit of digression in Xiaoqing post concerning liberation theology about the use of God’s Word, the bible. I think it is more about the Catholic doctrines which may not directly be quoted from, but informed by the Scripture.