Though its imagery resembles the past, today’s civil rights movement has its own identity, goal, and voice.
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As was the case in the 1960s—though much civil rights activity took place decades prior with little national fanfare, many actions with Mr. Thurgood Marshall, nicknamed ‘Mr. Civil Rights,’ at the helm—stories of black activism are penetrating American media and causing the public to confront an age-old problem that wasn’t extinguished with the passing of the Voting Rights, Civil Rights and Fair Housing Acts: institutional racism and its byproducts, like police brutality and oppressive and inequitable policies that disenfranchise black people in the spaces where they live, work and learn.
Particularly, in the last two years, tons of newspaper ink and cable news time untold has been dedicated to the narratives of black people and their allies demanding justice in police shootings. And now, with equal resources attributed, another story arc has emerged: black students on college campuses nationwide demanding institutional change under the banner of #StudentBlackOut.
The imagery associated with both narratives mirror that of the black activism that consumed public discourse fifty years ago. And in most cases, the demographic driving the direct actions today are the same, too: young people.
With so much of what’s happening resembling a past era, it could be, for some, difficult to distinguish exactly what has changed, or more specifically, what differentiates today’s direct actions from those organized by Mr. Marshall, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and others who led in their eras.
It’s important to note that the movement of the past had a primary goal of ending racial segregation and discrimination, which are byproducts of institutional racism, and that’s what the current civil rights movement aims to confront and destruct.
For example, though Black students are now able to occupy the same classrooms as Whites, thanks to past civil rights leaders, how they’re treated and acknowledged in those institutions—the policies and system that govern them—and rather those institutions are culturally sensitive or inclusive of the values and voices of the black student body, is the fight that today’s leaders, like those who make up the Black Liberation Collective—the umbrella organization that coordinated yesterday’s 23 campus protest against racism in schools—have laced their boots for.
Today, an African-American family can live in a what may be considered a ‘white neighborhood’ thanks to a fight decades ago to end housing discrimination, but whether or not that family can arrive at their residence without appearing suspicious to police, and how the police will respond to their suspicions, is of great concern to Black Lives Matter activists.
And, whereas, the civil rights movements of the past relied heavily on traditional media to create their buzz and to win over public opinion, today’s Black Lives Matter activists have harnessed democratized, user-generated media channels, sometimes locking out of the conversation established media companies, who often are lambasted at protests for inaccurate depictions of the movement—labeling it anti-police instead of anti-police violence—and, more historically, for over-representing black men in stories of crime and violence.
The new civil rights movements is also intentionally intersectional, ensuring that no one is prevented from engaging or leading an act of civil disobedience because of race, sex, gender, or socio-economic status. In fact, several of the more well-known Black Lives Matter activists—including the movement’s founders—don’t live a heterosexual lifestyle.
What we’re seeing in the present from our media, on our campuses, and in our communities may favor yesterday’s struggle, and, some of the activists’ chants may even echo it, but be assured today’s movement has an identity, goal and voice all its own.
‘The Modern Day Civil Rights Movement,’ a free 6:30pm panel discussion at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia preceding Grammy Award-winner Mr. Christian McBride’s Nov. 21st 8pm concert at the Merriam Theater, will be moderated by Christopher “Flood the Drummer” Norris.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™