18/02/2026
Sunday March 1, 14.00/2 pm, Keizersgrachtkerk
Civil Disobedience: what twentieth century successes and failures can teach us about modern challenges.
Led by Hjalmar Rosing
In early 1960 students walked into a lunch counter in the center of Nashville, Tennessee. They were, as had been expected, refused service because they were Black. They sat down peacefully, were arrested and fined. Strong support from the Black community and fears of endangering Nashville’s economy led to negotiations, and by the tenth of May lunch in Nashville was desegregated and they all lived happily ever after because racism no longer existed. The end.
You may have heard that story before, but even if you haven’t you will doubtlessly realize it is nonsense. Not because there is no truth to it, but because carefully selected facts have been used to create an inspiring narrative. This is often the way acts of civil disobedience are framed, and doing so paints a very one-sided picture. What is hidden are aspects such as the high level of organisation needed, the public support that needs to be built and maintained, personal risk for those involved, and violence. And more generally, it hides complexity.
It is this complexity that I will be looking into on March 1st. Questions will include: Are our own beliefs about right and wrong inextricably linked with how we perceive an act of civil disobedience? How do we relate to the role violence has played? Are there objective criteria we can employ when trying to make ethical decisions and choices?
This may seem a heavy topic, and perhaps it is, but there will certainly also be room for uplifting stories of success and even triumph. Just not as sanitized as the one I started with.
