Historian compares civil rights protests, then and now

(AP) - Douglas Brinkley, a Rice University history professor and author whose works include books about the late civil rights icons Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., discusses differences between the 1960s civil rights protests and those of today.

He says the ’60s protesters were fueled by Christian credos, while today’s have more “raw anger.”

He says 1960s civil rights leaders felt they had the sympathy of the era’s presidents, while current President Donald Trump uses the language of 1960s segregationists about the protests.

He says social media and cellphones help protesters document abuses and be safer.