This week’s module focuses on racial inequality in America. In the letter to Martin Luther King titled, A Group of Clergy Men, and John Lewis’s book, March, we read about a period of racially fueled turmoil that swept through the nation during a vulnerable time in American history. From 1954-1968 the Civil Rights Movement aimed to establish justice and peace amongst white and black citizens. African Americans courageously took to the streets to protest racism, segregation, discrimination, and unequal laws. Many of the racial barriers that once divided us have thankfully faded. However, recent protests, sparked by George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, Minnesota make me question what level of racial discrimination still exists in American culture. In this discussion, I take a closer look at how the protests of today compare with those of the past. I have done my best to remove any political bias I might have and used the most credible sources I could find.
How are today’s protests similar to the Civil Rights Movement of 1954-1968?
2020 has been an incredibly challenging year for our nation. The COVID-19 pandemic has created global hysteria and severely disrupted American’s normal way of life. Additionally, we inch closer to a presidential election that has voters feeling uneasy about the future. To make matters worse, news reports of civil unrest, riots, protests, and murder are all over social media. People in the 1960’s experienced many of the same feelings we do today.
President Lyndon B. Johnson and his administration are recognized for encouraging equality and supporting multiculturalism in America. On June 2, 1964, he signed the Civil Rights Act which makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or origin (Bowne, 2015). In contrast, Black Lives Matter protestors of today have called out President Trump and his administration for not taking a stand against systemic racism (Peters, 2020). At a public safety meeting in Kenosha, Wisconsin President Trump sat down with community leaders to discuss the recent protests and accusations of police brutality. When asked by a CNN reporter if he believed systemic racism still exists he responded by saying, “I don’t believe that:” (Burnett, 2020). Protesters were disheartened by the president’s comments in light of the recent shooting involving Jacob Blake (Burnett, 2020).
John Lewis’s book, March, closely mirrors the civil unrest that is currently taking place in our communities. Like the organizers of the Black Lives Matter protests, Lewis bravely stood up for the rights of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. He and his fellow activists were tear-gassed, beaten, and arrested because they marched against segregation (Lewis, Aydin, & Powell, 2013). However, they eventually succeeded and had these policies overturned. Lewis’s book serves as a modern-day testament to freedom and the power of unity. Although the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter Protests are separated by time, they are founded on the same core principles. Peace, justice, and equal opportunity remain the present call to action of those seeking social change and political stability.
How are today’s protests different than the Civil Rights Movement of 1954-1968?
Ian Thomsen, a student at Northeastern University School of Law interviewed professor of law and director of the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project, Margaret Burnham. Burnham has dedicated most of her life to the study of equality and social justice (Burnham, 2020). She was present at the March on Washington in 1963 and remains an activist for the rights of African Americans across the nation. When asked what is different about modern-day protests versus those that took place during the ’60s, she said, “there is a different level of participation by people beyond the African American community” (Burnham, 2020). This observation makes me hopeful the Civil Rights Movement instilled lasting change in our nation. Protesters during the ’60s were predominantly African American. Few whites participated in public demonstrations in support of equal rights. The Black Lives Matter movement of today encompasses many races and cultural backgrounds. The diversity of participants is unprecedented compared to the Civil Rights Movement of the ’60s.
In an article published by National Geographic titled, 2020 is not 1968: To understand today’s protest, you must look further back, author Thomas J. Sugrue writes how today’s protests are shockingly less violent than those that took place during the Civil Rights Movement (Sugrue, 2020). For example, in July of 1967 in Newark, New Jersey, 34 African Americans were killed, 23 of which were at the hands of the local police (Sugrue, 2020). In Detroit, Michigan 43 people lost their lives, shot by a mix of police, National Guard, and military troops (Sugrue, 2020). Undoubtedly many people have been injured by police throughout the course of recent demonstrations. However, from what I have been able to find there are no reported instances of police opening fire with lethal weapons on unarmed protesters. Despite the chaos publicized by the media, many of today’s protestors seek change and do not aim to incite violence.
Interestingly, pages 99-103 of March, detail John Lewis’s account of the Woolworth’s department store attack, on February 27th, 1960 in Nashville, Tennessee. Although they were warned by a trusted minister that they would not be welcome at the store, Lewis and his fellow activists went anyway. When they arrived to eat, an angry mob of white men gathered at the sandwich counter shouting derogatory terms. It did not take long before chaos broke out and the whites attacked Lewis and his friends. With no choice but to defend themselves Lewis and the activists fought back until the police arrived. Instead of rounding up the white instigators, police arrested Lewis and his group for civil disobedience.
John Lewis’s story serves as a reminder of how far our nation has come since the ’60s. America is quickly becoming one of the world’s most ethnically diverse countries (Horowitz, 2019). Studies show a positive correlation between multiculturalism, economic growth, and human development (VanAlstine, Cox, & Roden, 2015). Tossing aside prejudice and working together has the potential to greatly improve American’s quality of life. I believe our country’s future depends on how well we integrate with one another socially and politically throughout the coming months.
Should people continue protesting or work closely with legislators to combat racial injustice?
Protesting is a First Amendment Right protected by the United States Constitution (FindLaw, n.d.). Similar events throughout American history have brought about significant change and helped reform unpopular legislation. According to The New York Times, an estimated 7 million people have participated in Black Lives Matter protests across the nation (Buchanan, Bui, & Patel, Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History, 2020). More people join the movement each day as awareness continues to spread.
In the April 1963 letter to Martin Luther King titled, A Group of Clergy Men, we observe how quickly protests can capture the attention of leadership (Carpenter, et al., 2020). The writers of this letter argued that the protesters could increase the effectiveness of their message by remaining peaceful (Carpenter, et al., 2020). They went on to say that the destruction of property, looting, arson, senseless killing, and violence was a counterproductive means of objection. The clergymen asked that people persist cordially as government officials and legislators go through the due process required to amend laws and change local policies. This and many letters similar set the stage for progressive talks between Martin Luther King and President Johnson, resulting in the Civil Rights Act being signed into law in 1963 (Jessiekratz, 2018).
Concluding Thoughts
In summary, the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter protests share key similarities and differences, however they both aim to accomplish the same thing. Society has made considerable progress towards equality since the 1960s. The unfortunate death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Atatiana Jefferson, and Stephon Clark come to mind when considering the recent failures of law enforcement and an intolerable abuse of power (Chaghtai & Jazeera, 2020). I encourage people to continue standing up for what they believe in and unite for racial equality. Conversely, violence, rioting, and looting should never be considered a means of reprisal. Although the future of our nation is unclear, we can be certain America will remain the world’s most prominent example of freedom and democracy. Joined by the core principles of liberty, equality, and unity the people of this great nation have the potential to overcome all obstacles in hopes of a brighter future.
References
Bowne, M. (2015, July 2). This Day in History: President Lyndon B. Johnson Signed the Civil Rights act of 1964. Retrieved from The White House President Barack Obama: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2015/07/02/day-history-president-lyndon-b-johnson-signed-civil-rights-act-1964
Buchanan, L., Bui, Q., & Patel , J. K. (2020, July 3). Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Moveemnt in U.S. History . Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/03/us/george-floyd-protests-crowd-size.html
Buchanan, L., Bui, Q., & Patel, J. K. (2020, July 3). Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/03/us/george-floyd-protests-crowd-size.html
Burnett, E. (2020, 09 01). ‘I don’t believe that:’ Trump denies systemic racism in US. Retrieved from CNN Politics: https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/09/01/trump-systemic-racism-ebof-vpx.cnn
Burnham, M. (2020, June 4). How do today’s black lives matter protests compare to the civil rights movement of the 1960s? (I. Thomsen, Interviewer)
Carpenter, C., Durick, J. A., Grafman, M. L., Hardin, P., Harmon, N. B., Murray, G. M., . . . Stallings, E. (2020). Concerned Clergymen’s Letter to Martin Luther King . Retrieved from CarmenCanvas: https://osu.instructure.com/courses/85555/files/22407106?module_item_id=4853586
Chaghtai , A., & Jazeera, A. (2020). Know their names. Retrieved from interactive : https://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/2020/know-their-names/index.html
FindLaw. (n.d.). Is There a Right to Peaceful Protest? Retrieved from FindLaw: https://civilrights.findlaw.com/enforcing-your-civil-rights/is-there-a-right-to-peaceful-protest.html#:~:text=Free%20expression%20of%20one’s%20beliefs,press%2C%20and%20freedom%20of%20assembly.&text=But%20while%20there%20is%20a,operative%20word%2C%20there%
Gittinger, T., & Fisher, A. (2004). LBJ Chmapions the Civil Rights Act of 1964. National Archives, 36(2). Retrieved from https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
History. (2020). Civil Rights Movement . Retrieved from History: https://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement
Horowitz, J. M. (2019, May 8). Americans See Advantages and Challenges in Country’s Growing Racial and Ethnic Diversity. Retrieved from Pew Research Center: https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2019/05/08/americans-see-advantages-and-challenges-in-countrys-growing-racial-and-ethnic-diversity/
Jessiekratz. (2018, February 28). LBJ and MLK. Retrieved from National Archives Pieces of History : https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2018/02/28/lbj-and-mlk/
Lewis , J., Aydin, A., & Powell, N. (2013). March . Marietta , Georgia: Top Shelf Productions. Retrieved from https://www.comicextra.com/march/chapter-1/30
Mazumder, S. (2020, August 27). What Protests Can (And Can’t) Do. Retrieved from FiveThirtyEight: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-protests-can-do/
Peters, J. W. (2020, July 14). Ask About Black Americans Killed by Police, Trump Says, “So Are White People”. Retrieved from The New York TImes: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/14/us/politics/trump-white-people-killed-by-police.html
Sugrue, T. J. (2020, June 11). 2020 is not 1968: To understand today’s protests, you must look further back . Retrieved from National Geographic : https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/06/2020-not-1968/
VanAlstine, J., Cox, S. R., & Roden, D. M. (2015). Cultural Diversity in the United States and Its Impact on Human Development. Journal of the Indiana Academy of the Social Sciences, 18(1). Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1027&context=jiass
I appreciated this in depth post! I think that it is very helpful to compare and contrast these two important moments in the movement for racial equality. While I agree that we have come a long way, I think that the systemic inequality that still exists pervasively in American society can be sneaky. Things can be explained away with different interpretations of statistics and events. The fact that President Trump can so easily say that he doesn’t believe that systemic racism still exists is evidence of this. I have seen so many people explaining away inequities in policing, incarceration, healthcare outcomes, housing, etc. This is often done by picking out statistics that serve their argument and ignoring the historical realities that led us to this point. Things certainly have changed a lot since the 60s, but there is a long way to go.
The research that was done on this post was done extremely well. The in depth comparison between the situations of late and at in the 60s is something very useful to know. Many people bring up very surface level comparisons of protesting but do not delve into the other details. If people do not understand what happened in the past, they are doomed to repeat it in the future. The comment made by President Trump regarding systemic racism is blatant ignorance and is the root of many problems that we are facing today as a nation.
Hi! Your post was a good read and it explained everything clearly. I agree with you when you said that today’s protests are different than the Civil Rights Movement of 1954-1968 because there have been quite a few white people who have participated in the ongoing protests and I hope that since a lot more people are participating change will happen. I also believe that people should protest peacefully daily but the looting, killings, and destruction of property is unnecessary.
Hello! I really enjoyed reading your post. You backed up almost all of your points and I could tell you were trying to leave out any biasis you may have regarding the circumstances. I certainly believe that there is an extreme difference from what happened in the past and what is happening now regarding civil rights and black lives matter movement. I believe that as a whole country we have made substantial progress concerning discrimination. However, as a country we still have wounds to heal and more progress to make in regards to discrimination and equality. I have a strong hope that we will work through the problems we face today in the United States.
Your post was a very informative one and went deep into comparing the two movements. I agree that the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Lives Matter movement are different, but also the same. While there may be different goals, the overarching endgame is to combat racism whether it’s internal, institutional, or systematic. I do feel that racial inequality somewhat, but nowhere near the point, it needs to be. The black community is still facing the racist and horrendous consequences of the Crime Bill of 1994 that allowed for mandatory minimum sentences, the militarization of the police, police brutality, and over-policing minority communities. Sadly, it doesn’t seem like our bureaucratic oligarch of a government will pursue true racial justice (legalization of marijuana and pardoning of all offenders, reallocating police funds towards underfunded minority communities, demilitarizing the police, etc.), therefore I believe it is completely up to us as a collective, black, white, Asian, Latino, to come together and bring this oppressive system down peacefully.
I strongly agree with the content of this article. Ethnic conflicts cannot be resolved by force or bloodshed. In contrast to the racial movements of the 1960s, we have also experienced a lot of violence and bloodshed this year, as if it were the 1960s again overnight. In fact, we have come a long way in eliminating racial inequality. In this pluralistic world, people of every race and color should be equal and free. I wish That President Trump would pay attention to the root cause and not “I don’t know.” What people want to hear more about is a practical solution to the problem.
here is li.10890, sorry about forgot to change username
I can tell you put a lot of work into making this post- good job! It was very informative and presented similarities and differences between now and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, which helped me better process the current events of today.
In agreement with some of the other comments posted above, I believe that systemic racism still exists today. People outside of the African American community, as you mentioned, need to step up and join the movement for racial equality.
I greatly agree with the cotent of this article. It helps me further understand racial inequality and how people have been working through it in a long historical way. While there is still cases existed now that people have suffered from racial discrimination. Although things have been changed a lot since 1960s, we need to overcome more difficulties to get to the gate of liberty, equality, and unity.
I unequivocally concur with the substance of this article. Ethnic clashes can’t be settled forcibly or slaughter. It is abnormal to believe that in the 1960’s the African Americans had boundaries to prevent them from voting. I positively accept that there is an extraordinary distinction from what occurred before and what’s going on now with respect to social liberties and people of color matter movement. I accept that in general country we have gained considerable ground concerning segregation. Tragically we live in a world that despite everything arranges various nations and networks in a manner that can be debasing.
I agree with the content of this article. The article contains a number of resources that allow us to gain a deeper understanding of this context. The problem of racial discrimination embodied in Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s can still be seen today. This inequality should be corrected. We should also be aware of the dangers of racial discrimination. In this case, people need the courage to stand up for each other’s rights, as Martin Luther King did, which can lay a foundation for the calm of future life.
I really enjoy your post and learned a lot! After reading your article, I know that there is a big distinction concerning attitudes of civil rights and race discrimination between the past and the present due to public movements over years. Even though there is a great progress, there still exists many different kinds of discrimination such as racial and gender inequality. Also, I think it’s important to encourage more citizens to act like Martin Luther King to help reduce the phenomena of any kinds of discrimination by their behaviors or words.
I cannot be more agree with the project you proposed. It was such a learning experience to read the article. I think a great majority of cause of the movements are because of some sort of injustice or inequality. The civilians will fight for their rights when they were kept being depressed and depriving away their basic rights. When they decided to fight for themselves, none of the movements will be peaceful. They are always ended with violence and injury. Even the generation afterwards will be impacted. For example, the racial movement happened recently is not an accidental events. There must be some reason that led people to fight against. But eventually, we need peace and we need equality to live upon.
I would encourage you to watch this video, featuring author, screenwriter, director and lecturer Kimberly Jones in defense of “rioting” as a legitimate form of protest, or, at the very least, something that should be understood and viewed within context: https://youtu.be/llci8MVh8J4
In your conclusion, you have stated, “Conversely, violence, rioting, and looting should never be considered a means of reprisal.” This is a very common position, but you should consider the implications of such a statement. Yes, damage to property is undesirable, but whenever these protests are covered, all everyone ever focuses on is “peace,” not unlike the “Call to Unity” letter King was responding to in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” The chant is, “no justice, no peace,” because the “peace” most people seek is for the oppressed to be quiet, to stop making trouble, and to go back to quietly accepting their lot, aka, the status quo, and the status quo is unacceptable, because the status quo is Black people, including Black children, being murdered in the street.
also, the current accepted style is to capitalize the “B” in “Black” (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/05/insider/capitalized-black.html)
Thank you for this comment! That sentence hit me in a similar way, but I didn’t choose to speak up. This is a conscience-forming moment for me, as we all continue to learn together.
Your post was very well written and very informative. It gave me a clear understanding of what Week 3’s readings were about. I agree that people should continue standing up for what they are fighting for and not to use violence, rioting, etc. as a way to get the pint across. You made many points throughout your project that I agree with completely. It is very easy to see that you put a lot of thought into this research presentation.