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Essays on racial inequality
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The US civil rights movement
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African-Americans have experienced racism and discrimination throughout the course of history. After the Civil Rights Movement, blacks were finally given the constitutional rights that they deserved; however, social problems still exist today that negatively impact the African-American community. Black Lives Matter is the name of a social movement that was created in 2012 in response to the many unjustifiable actions that have taken place in the past, dealing with discrimination against blacks. This movement seeks to put a spotlight on the racism that still exists within society and affects many black people today. The controversial shooting of Michael Brown was the final straw that led to the creation of Black Lives Matter. Michael Brown was …show more content…
an unarmed, black 18-year-old who was shot by a white police officer after a store clerk reported Brown for shoplifting cigars. Darren Wilson, the white police officer, was ultimately acquitted for his actions, which led to an outrage in the black community and a massive riot in Ferguson, Missouri. Though the evidence was inconsistent all around, many believe the shooting of Brown was fueled by an Individual Discrimination and that Wilson most likely felt threatened by Brown solely because of his skin color. Individual discrimination is when one person discriminates against another person or group due to self-disliking of that person’s race, gender or ethnicity. The black community felt that the Michael Brown case along with other police brutality cases in the past were a direct cause of Individual Discrimination. They also felt that court officials were not seriously considering whether or not suspects were driven by discrimination when the events took place. One reason that most activists feel inspired to stand up for what they believe in is that they feel they have a responsibility and an opportunity to mold their own futures and make changes where changes are needed for future benefits.
These individuals are demonstrating the sociological term, Intergenerational Mobility, which is the social movement or change within a person’s own life span. Black Lives Matter activists recognize the current social situations within their lives and recognize the disadvantages that these social situations bestow upon them as individuals. As a result, they seek to change the social situation for their own well-being. To make this change, they raise attention to politicians and other groups and urge recognition of the issue to end mass discrimination among our nation. The Black Lives Matter activists seek to permanently change future societal aspects and end discrimination for the well-being and equal treatment of minorities within their own …show more content…
generation. Although the movement was initially driven by an act of individual discrimination, it is fueled by the activist’s claim that they are a Subordinate Group.
A subordinate group is a group of individuals who are disadvantaged and treated unequally compared to the dominant group. The Black Lives Matter activists use this term to argue the fact that blacks are treated unequally by the police force. This is demonstrated by the numerous police shootings, which are often believed to be racially motivated. However, the dominant group, which in this case are white people, are arguably treated fairer by the police force than blacks are. This unequal treatment helps support the idea that blacks belong to the subordinate group and are physically disadvantaged by racially prejudiced police
workers. Out of the three sociological perspectives, the conflict theory is a perfect example that demonstrates why this social movement was created in the first place. The conflict theory, in sociological terms, describes how individuals compete for limited resources, and will fight for wealth and power by controlling those who are weak and poor or who have fewer opportunities. A little over a century ago, slavery had still taken place among the African-American race, and up until a few decades ago, segregation was still taking place. This subject directly compares to the conflict theory because the whites took full advantage of the blacks and abused power and wealth by taking control of their lives. They believed they were superior to the blacks and used them as free labor with no benefits and cruel and inhumane treatment. Although slavery and segregation ended over a century ago, the Black Lives Matter activists frequently state that they still feel inferior to white people and are treated with overall less respect. Overall, the Black Lives Matter movement is a progressive social movement that seeks to spread awareness of racism and social problems that negatively affect the black community.
According to Zimmerman, him and Martin had an altercation, where it led to Zimmerman shooting Martin in the chest, killing him. He claims it was self-defense. Photos and reports were leaked, which caused more and more people protesting to acquire Zimmerman getting charged for his actions. The end result led to a not guilty verdict in July, 2013. Due to this event, the “Black Lives Matter” movement started. Black Lives Matter movement, can be very complicated to define due to the misportrayal by the media and society. The Black Live Matter Movement, also known as the BLM, is defined as an international activist movement, originating in the African American community, the campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people
The issues of how technology is influencing our nation today has come into play with social media and surveillance in our personal lives. We use twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. to express our opinions on things and as a voice to inform people on what’s going on in today’s society. We have learned how to use the tools we’ve been given to change our lives forever; our government has access to all of our personal information in exchange for our protection against terrorism. In Bijan Stephen’s article on “Black Lives Matter” and Rebecca McKinnon’s chapter on “the Arab Spring”, they both touch on the power of technology in negative and positive ways.
Two exceptions to the class avoidance phenomenon: discussion about the middle class as acceptable and presenting glimpses of the poor and wealthy that conform to common stereotypes. Americans are misinformed to believe the following myths: class distinctions are non-existent, middle-class is the norm, everyone is getting richer, and the chances of success are equal for everyone. The U.S. has the highest income gap between the wealthiest and poorest in the industrial world, which is approximately 12 to 1. In 2004, the affluent experienced a wage increase by 12%, whereas the 99% of average income makers saw an increase of 1%. The Making of the Ghetto: One of the biggest forms of equity is home ownership, and between 1933 and 1978, the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) supported millions of Americans by providing small down payments and reasonable payment plans, if they fell within their requirements.
Today there are many controversial subjects discussed throughout the media. One of the most discussed is race and the Black Lives Matter movement. Recently, I came across an article titled “The Truth of ‘Black Lives Matter’”, written by The Editorial Board. The article was published on September 3, 2015, to the New York Times. In the article, The Editorial Board writes about what they believe African Americans are facing as challenges in society today, including the all-too-common police killings of unarmed African-Americans across the country. The Editorial Board is right that some African Americans have been treated unfairly, but all ethnicities have been. Life is a precious thing that comprises all ethnicities. This brings us to ask; why
Black lives matter is a social media movement that went of the Ferguson, Gardner cases etc. Also very rapidly it was to show as a opposition to the police and cops. Somehow when saying black lives matter it was like saying all life matter don’t matter. It’s a touchy subject due to why people view things and for most case I can understand. I feel that the person that made black life’s matter didn’t mean for it to be just all about black life but to inform others around the nation that there is a special problem that is only happening in the African American community and we have fix that issue . we as a society has to recognize this that the African American are not making this up this its not something being politicalized its real and there’s a history behind it so we have to seriously.
This ranges from small offenses to crimes, or from them being seen as a threat. In this case, African Americans are treated as the minorities, therefore making them the underdogs. This does not include the entire population within the world, but rather, the people that are considered to be oppressed and not the “elite”. Margaret Canovan says “In a more restricted sense, the term can be contrasted with some kind of elite or upper class to refer not to the whole community, but to the less privileged majority of its members,” (Canovan 315). This means that “the less privileged” refers to African Americans because they are considered to be at the lowest level of society, making them inferior and not important.
The Black Lives Matter campaign is a major movement in the United States. The campaign started because of the police brutality that occurred against African Americans across the nation. The African American community began this activist movement in order to raise awareness of the mistreatment of African Americans by the police. Furthermore, the campaign strives to solve the issues of racial profiling and injustice in the United States’ criminal society. The first demonstration of the Black Lives Matter campaign occurred after the Trayvon Martin case. Trayvon Martin, a young African American teenager, was shot and killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman for no apparent reason. Despite this, George Zimmerman’s trial was acquitted. Following this unjust sanction, protestors coined the hashtag “blacklivesmatter” on social media and began public demonstrations to show their anger toward the criminal justice system.
The New York Times defines the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement as an international activist movement, originating in the African-American community, that campaigns against violence and systemic racism toward black people. The Black Lives Matter movement was started in 2012 by three women, Opal Tometi, Alicia Garza, and Patrisse Cullors. It began after George Zimmerman was acquitted for the murder of Trayvon Martin and a deceased Trayvon Martin was tried for the crime he committed. After this injustice the #BlackLivesMatter slogan began and the BLM movement skyrocketed. Further African American injustices such as the killings of Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, and Eric Gardner prompted the movement to grow vigorously. The Black Lives Matter movement
This organization was created by Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi in 2012 after George Zimmerman was acquitted for the killing of Trayvon Martin. The Black Lives Matter movement originally started as a hashtag used on social media. Thousands of people used this hashtag to discuss issues in the African American community and to bring to light the ways in which African Americans were being oppressed by the government. By using social media the hashtag spread quickly and as the word got out, the Black Lives Matter movement started to hold peaceful protests around the country. Their main goal is to rebuild the black liberation movement and to ensure that all black voices are heard, especially voices that have been silenced in the past such as African American women and the LGBT community. They believe that state violence directly suppresses African Americans from progressing. This is why they want to end state violence to help African Americans achieve basic human rights and dignity which in turn will benefit society as a whole. Black Lives Matter does not only promote justice and equality for blacks but they also work to recognize the contributions African Americans have made recently and throughout
"This is not a moment, but a movement," (blacklivesmatter.com). Black Lives Matter is a multinational activist movement that began in the African-American communities of the United States of America. The Black Lives Matter Movement protests against the planned violence and racism that oppresses black communities across the United States of America and in other countries. Black Lives Matter started in 2012 after the state of chaos caused by the Trayvon Martin case.
The fight for equality has been fought for many years throughout American History and fought by multiple ethnicities. For African Americans this fight was not only fought to gain equal civil rights but also to allow a change at achieving the American dream. While the United States was faced with the Civil Rights Movements a silent storm brewed and from this storm emerged a social movement that shook the ground of the Civil Right Movement, giving way to a new movement that brought with it new powers and new fears. The phrase “Black power” coined during the Civil Right Movement for some was a slogan of empowerment, while other looked at it as a threat and attempted to quell this Black Power Movement.
“Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a movement against police violence that is, as argued by BLM supporters, disproportionately and systematically directed at black people. The movement has highlighted incidents in which police have harassed and killed black men and women. BLM is considered one of the most visible and controversial civil rights movement of the last decades.” (Black Lives Matter. 2016) “Black Lives Matter is an American social activist organization devoted to stopping violence and injustice against African Americans. The group was founded in 2013 following the acquittal of In the sixties African Americans began a Civil Rights Movement that, to some, still continue today; hence, the Black Lives Matter movement. During the sixties, the
First off Black Lives Matter is a powerful organization that has gained national attention. The movement was started in 2012, after the death of seventeen year Trayvon Martin. A very controversial trial came about, against a police officer named George Zimmerman who had shot the young black man. The main goal of black lives matter is to prevent
That is why my family is advocate for black lives matter. There is too much stuff going on in today’s society especially towards black people. So I chose to a visual text for black lives matter.Black lives matter is a movement which purpose is to bring black people together. So that we can stand united. What I mean by stand united is that black people need to support each other to break away from stereotypes. It’s focused on black people being liberated from all the unnecessary hardships from people in positions of power. So the group was made to make a
When a person thinks about Black Lives Matter, he or she may visualize African Americans fighting for justice and equality. The movement Black Lives Matter was created to bring awareness to systematic racism, police brutality and social injustice that African Americans face on a daily basis. In contrary, All Lives Matter downplays the fact that black people are looked down upon in society. All Lives Matter may seem like an innocent title, but it emphasizes that justice for black people is not necessary. Black Lives Matter is not a movement that believes all lives do not matter; nevertheless, it highlights the fact that black lives are taken for granted by the judicial system.