Civil Rights - Nonviolence In The Era Of Violent Racism

----------FinalPaperNonviolenceintheEraofV iolentRacismThecivilrightseraofthe1960ssawsomeofthemostgrotesqueformsofviolenceagainstBlackpeople-specificallythosedemonstratingvariousformsofpeacefulprotestsagainstthepoliciesofsegregationandothercivilrightsissuesintheUnitedStates.EvenwithmoreintimidatingmovementssuchasBlackPowerandtheBlackPanthers,thecivilrightsmovementisrememberedasthereasonforBlackAmericansgainingmorecivilliberties.Thereisstillmuchworktodotoachieveracialequality ,andthemodernBlackLivesMattermovement(BLM)ispushingtoexpandthefreedomsofBlackpeople,similarlytotheactivismoftheCivilRightsera.WhatisthephilosophyandstrategyoftheBLMmovement,andhowdoesitcomparetothecivilrightsmovement?CanBLMusethesamestrategyasthecivilrightsmovementoradapttonewmethods?T oanswerthisquestion,onemustexaminethesuccessesandfailuresofthecivilrightsmovementandhowitsstrategytranslatestomoderntimes.AdiscussiononAmericancivilrightsshouldbeginwiththecivilrightsmovement,theerabetween1954and1968involvingmassprotests,racialdivide,segregation,andsocioeconomicinequality .Themovementoccurrednationwide,thoughmanyoftheracistpoliciesandsubsequentprotestsoccurredinsouthernstates.ThemainissuethatplaguedBlackpeopleinthepre-1960swasracialsegregationinpublicfacilitiesandgovernmentservicesintoseparatewhiteandcoloreddomains(BirminghamPublicAccommodationSegregationLaws).Thecoloredsideofthesedivisionswasfrequentlyunderfundedcomparedtotheirwhitecounterparts.DisenfranchisementofBlackpeoplebywhiteauthorityfigureswasevidentduringthistime,withwhitegovernmentof ficialssuppressingBlackvoteraccess.BlackvotersuppressioncontributedtoacycleofunderrepresentationinsouthernstategovernmentsbecauseBlackpeopleoftencouldnotvoteforof ficialstorepresenttheirinterests.AcommonfearfacedbyBlackpeopleleadinguptotheCivilRightsmovementwasthatofviolence-bothbyindividuals,communities,andlawenforcement.TheearlyCivilRightsmovementaimeditssightstowardissuesofpubliceducation,legislativelobbying,andlitigation,whichhadallbeenstructuredtopreventBlackpeoplefromreceivingthesameopportunitiesaswhitepeople.ThescopeofthemovementbroadenedaftertheBr ownrulingtoastrategythatemphasized"directaction":sit-ins,FreedomRides,marches,boycotts,andsimilartacticsthatreliedonmassmobilizationandnonviolentresistancetoauthorities.CongressmanJohnLewisofGeor giawoulddescribethisbehaviorasgoodtrouble.LocalBlackgroupsandinstitutionswouldor ganizetocreategoodtroublethroughbroad-basedactionssuchasthegasstationboycottsinMississippiandprotestsattheT ri-StateBankofNashville(NewY orkT imes).Theeventualsuccessoftheboycottsmadeitsearlyspokesman,MartinLutherKingJr .,anationallyknowncivilrightsleader .Kingwasoneofthemanyproponentsofnon-violentprotestsandaleaderintheCivilRightsmovement.Kingandhiscontemporariesthenembracedpacifismtoresistanyattemptsofabuseorarrest.Therearetwowaystothinkaboutpacifismasaformofprotest:philosophicalandtactical.Theintellectualformofnonviolencereliedonteachingthepurposeofprotest.It"shapedtheindividualperson'sattitudeandmentalresponsetocrisesandviolence"(CivilRightsMovementArchive).ThephilosophicalformwasinspiredbyGandhi snon-cooperationprotestsagainsttheBritishEmpire.Thetacticalformtaughtmehowtoputupwithviolencewithoutretaliationandremaincalminthefaceofharassment.Whilethephilosophicalaspecttaughttheimportanceofprotest,thetacticalcomponenttaughthowtoprotest(CivilRightsMovementArchive).ThecivilrightsmovementunderKingutilizedbothphilosophicalandtacticalmethodstogainnationalrecognitionfortheirpeacefulmovement.TheprotestsunderKingdemonstratedthatnon-violencewasnotjustademonstrationbutawayoflife.However ,noteveryoneagreeswiththisbelief.Forinstance,JamesForman,aformerBlackPanthermember ,andnonviolencetrainer ,foundKing smethodofnonviolence"strictlyatactic,notawayoflifewithoutlimitations(TheMakingofBlackRevolutionaries).NorthCarolinaNationalAssociationfortheAdvancementofColoredPeopleleaderRobertW illiamssharedthissentiment,statingthathischapterwouldmeetviolencewithviolence.W illiamseye-for -an-eyeapproachcontrastedwithKing spacifiststance.W illiamstacticsinvolvedarmedprotestsandafewstandof fswithwhitesupremacistgroups.TherewasanoticeabledeclineinracialviolencebywhitesupremacistsaftertheestablishmentofW illiamsmilitia.Inturn,pacifistmovementssawmoreroomtoprotestwithoutviolentretaliationfromwhitemobs.ItisnotclearwhetherW illiamsbeliefcontributedtothesuccessofKing smovement,butitmayhaveplayedasignificantrole.NotablecivilrightsleaderMalcolmXsharedasimilarsentimentwithW illiamsabouttheneedforBlackmilitarizationinresponsetoviolence(Alifeofreinvention).Thefightforcivillibertiescontinuestodayunderanewbanner:BlackLivesMatter .BLMisaninternationalmovementcreatedtorebuildtheblackliberationmovement-withanemphasisontherightsandfreedomsofBlackwomen,queerandtranspeople,peoplewhoaredif ferentlyabled,andthosewhoareundocumentedandformerlyincarcerated(BlackLivesMatter).Theyfocusonacalltoactionandresponsetostate-sanctionedviolenceagainstBlackpeople(BlackLivesMatter).TheemphasisonBlackliberationissharedwiththecivilrightsmovementofthe1960s.BlackliberationisseenasanattempttoliberateBlackpeoplefromallformsofsocial,political,economic,andreligioussubjugation.ThekillingsofinnocentBlackpeoplebylawenforcementoverthepastdecadehavesparkeddiscussionofthisideologyanditsapplicationinoursociety .BLMhopestoachievesocial,political,economic,andreligiousfreedomsforallBlackpeopleinAmericaandabroad.T oachievetheirgoal,BLMtakestothestreetslikethecivilrightsmovement.TheBLMmovementhasusedprotestsinpublicandprivatelocationsinanoverwhelminglypeacefulmanner(occasionally ,violencebreaksoutinresponsetopolicepresenceorcounter -protests).BLMusesadirectactionapproachtoprotests-makingpeopleuncomfortableenoughthattheyareforcedtoaddresssystemicracism(KCTS-TV).Whilenotcentralizedlikethecivilrightsor ganizationsofthe1960s,BLMhasworkedtospreadauniformmessageacrosstheirprotests.BLMhasutilizedsocialmediatokeepaconsistentmessagemovingthroughthestreets.SocialmediahasservedBLMwell,asithelpsspreadviralmessagingthatotherwisewouldgounnoticedbyadecentralizedor ganization.Thehashtag#BlackLivesMatterisanexampleofaviralmediacampaign.Thereisnotmuchofaninherentphilosophicaldif ferencebetweenthemodernBLMmovementandthecivilrightsmovementofthe1960s.Whilethe'60ssawmoreapparentviolenceagainstBlackAmericans,bothmovementspushedtograntmorefreedomsundertheBlackliberationideology .Whileeachmovementgainednationalattention,theydidsothroughtwodif ferentapproaches.Thecivilrightsmovementofthe60susedpacifism.W iththeageofsocialmedia,BLMusesadif ferentapproach.W ithmoderntechnology ,bystanderscandocumentgraphicpoliceviolenceandsharethemonsocialmediaglobally(White).BLMusesvideosofviolenceagainstBlackpeopletomaketheirmessageknown,whichlessenstheneedforpotentiallydangerousstrategieslikesit-ins,freedomrides,andotherprotestsseeninthe60s.Protestshavebeenmetwithviolencestill,withmanypoliceandwhitenationalistgroupsretaliatingwithforce(forexample,theCharlottesvillerallyin2017).SocialmediaisthenusedtoshareinstancesofviolenceagainstBLMprotesters,underliningthemovement smission.IsBLMsuccessfulcomparedtothecivilrightsmovementofthe1960s?Therearedif ferencesinthepoliticalenvironmentsfacedbyeachmovement.WhileBLMwasfoundedin2014,itdidnotreachnationalrecognitionuntiltheT rumpadministration.Sincethen,CongresshasbeencontrolledbyRepublicans,withlittlelegislativesuccessonBlackissues.TheCivilRightsmovementofthe1960ssawavarietyofactspassedinCongress,suchastheCivilRightsActof1957,1960,1964,andtheFairHousingActof1968.TheBLMmovementhasmadeBlackliberationmoreaccessibletotheaverageAmericanusingsocialmedia.GiventhepresenceofyoungpeopleintheBLMmovement,somelegislativesuccessmaybeyettocome.TheBLMmovementhasusheredinaneweraofBlackstudentadvocacy(White).JoeBiden spresidentialwinandthepossibilityofaDemocraticSenatein2021couldbringnewlegislationtoCongresstohelptheBLMmovement.Giventheachievementsofthecivilrightsmovementofthe'60sandthesimilaritiesbetweenthecivilrightsmovementandtoday sBLMmovement,futuresuccessesforBLMseemlikely .