Social Justice Action Project, Britnee And I Interviewed College Students

A necessary and common fight for equality has been one that has survived throughout all of man’s existence. Due to recent racial divide and the product of racial profiling, a movement has risen up to combat these common issues. The most recent and most well-covered is the Black Lives Matter Movement. Even though it has been lauded by some media sources and individuals as the next great movement to champion for civil rights, the Black Lives Matter movement is not the same as the African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s nor is it likely to be as successful. If the Black Lives Matter Movement continues with discrepancies in ideology, lack of clear leadership, and trends of hate, the movement is doomed to fail.

Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a loosely‐coordinated, nationwide movement dedicated to ending police brutality that rose to prominence in late 2014. It takes its name from a hashtag started by three Black feminist activists Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi but the movement and the hashtag are not identical (Freelon, McIlwain, & Clark, 2016). BLM has achieved national reputation through their online and offline organizing, obtaining extensive news media coverage and glowing references in music and entertainment television. Based on a horrendous incident that sparked a concern for a lot of Black people across the world, the sudden need for a social movement was born called BLM. Black Lives Matter is a national organization working for the validity of Black life and also working to rebuild the Black liberation movement. Black Lives Matter broadens the conversation and highlight the incidents around state violence to include the ways in which Black people are intentionally left powerless at the hands of the state. This referring to the ways in which Black lives are deprived of basic human rights and dignity. According to the article The Murder of Walter Scott, which talks about race and class, “African Americans are less than 13% of the U.S. population yet they are nearly 50% of those killed by the police. North Charleston has a population of 104,000, 47% Black and the police force is 80% white (Miah, 2015)”.

Although there was significant progress made in the 60’s Civil Rights Movements, African American lives still find themselves the subjects of racial profiling and police brutality cases. Specific incidents have brought the controversies to the public eye through social media and backlash from social movements. The cases of Trayvon Martin and Sandra Bland led to the controversies and feelings of judicial injustice; these events and public outrage sparked and fueled the movement “Black Lives Matter”, which was established to challenge and combat racial discrimination and police brutality. Since then, the movement has gained momentum and continues to gain followers and validity. Social media has also been a main contributor to the cause, as the

Throughout the last one hundred and fifty years, there has been a history of tension and conflict between the police and minority communities in the United States. In principle, the police exist to enforce the law and protect all citizens regardless of race or ethnic background, yet police departments across the country have been repeatedly accused of targeting and harassing racial minorities, and of failing to root out racist attitudes and practices within their ranks. In recent years, high profile cases such as the beating of Rodney King in Los Angles and the assault on Abner Louima in New York have only served to heighten concerns over the mistreatment of minorities by the police, resulting in widespread calls for major legal and institutional reforms. The recent shootings of Michael Brown, Ezell Ford, Eric Garner, and Terrance Crutcher underscore the danger Black men and boys face when they cross paths with law enforcement officers. In the absence of a coordinated national strategy, state and local police departments have largely been left to develop their own solutions to the problems of policing minority communities and improving cultural sensitivity amongst their officers. Many departments have sought to reform recruitment and selection policies in the hope of attracting greater numbers of minority applicants, while others have instituted diversity training and education programs aimed at improving police understanding of minority cultures and communities. To date, however, these efforts have yielded mixed results. Some departments have achieved notable successes, but on the whole, relations between the police and minority communities across the country remain strained. of cultural diversity and the police.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s effective policy of non-violence. Furthermore, the “Black Lives Matter” movement’s disruptive protest and impassionate public mission statement speeches about the persistent purpose of racial inequality have been disconcerting to many Americans who wonder what the real message for this new generation of civil rights protests are, and if their arguments, tactics, and cause is effective and productive to inciting change. To many times their stances have appeared contradictory and hate filled because of their lack of specific purpose and a central governing body. Responding to this criticism, Black Lives Matter leaders assert this is, “not your grandfather’s civil-rights movement,” to distinguish its tactics and its philosophy from those of nineteen-sixties-style activism. However, despite insinuating they are not typical of older civil rights movements they frequently allude to past civil rights

Police brutality is a major issue in today’s society. Many African Americans tend to avoid the police for that very reason. A campaign was started in 2012 against police brutality and the unfair treating of African Americans entitled, Black Lives Matter. This movement was met with controversy as well as support from the American people. This movement has followed several controversial police brutality cases in the United States including, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Sandra Bland. All African American and all killed in the presence of a police officer, with no convictions. These three cases have been some of the biggest cases in the Black Lives Matter campaign. This campaign is determined to make sure that Black lives are treated just as equally as white live and Hispanic lives, because black lives matter

I remember writing about the rhetoric of Black Lives Matter movement in the first in-class reflection essay. As for me, the rhetoric of protesting and marching against police violence and inequality is an effective way of making your voice heard. Police brutality and misconduct has become a major controversial issue in today’s society. Dr. Thomas Jurkanin’s lecture about on the topic “The Current State of Policing in America”, gave me a chance to understand the side of the story that is almost never focused on. Dr. Jurkanin is a current associate professor of Criminal Justice at MTSU, and has spent 40 years of his career in the field of criminal justice. Dr. Jurkanin took us behind the scene and presented us the issues that the police face in our society, why and how we can work to make the situation better. He started by giving us more details about how he got into policing and stating that he is pro-police based on his experience. Dr. Jurkanin then gives us an understanding of how the society wants the police to become an exceptional being by attaining the virtue of the greatest men in all of mankind. In fact, poll data has shown that police are

Deep implicit racial bias is an unfortunate side effect of our past but it continues to be a widely discussed issue today. Oscar Grant. Aiyana Jones. Trayvon Martin. Mike Brown. Eric Garner. Sandra Bland. These are the names of Black Americans that have flooded the media in the last few years. These people died tragically and many believe that they were murdered. One group that is determined to expose these deaths as such is the Black Lives Matter movement. This movement, which was founded in 2013, is an activist

There are no black and white areas when it comes to race and the problems that come with it. This gray subject is resonated in the hearts of blacks and the minds of the white community. In order to have equality, there has to be a cleaned slate between all races involved and a new song to be sung in the new community. Just as Jason Riley said in his book "Please Stop Helping Us", "The civil rights movement, properly understood, was about equal opportunity. But a group must be culturally equipped to seize it" (Riley pg. 58). Today 's culture is not ready to let go and move forward together because in order for that to be done personal responsibility has to be taken by everyone. Personal responsibility has to be taken even for the things that were not done personally by you. On the other hand generalizing all of a specific group of people i.e. Police officers and white people, as the bad guy needs to be stopped and looked at from both sides of the problem. On August 9, 2014, eighteen-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by a white police officer named Darren Wilson. In several witness accounts, people said that Michael Brown had his hands up which sparked the "Hands up don 't shoot" chant that was repeated during several protests throughout the country (Clarke, 2014). What is not analyzed is the fact that Michael Brown had also just stolen from a local store as well as

“We are outraged and heartbroken over today’s verdict,” said Benjamin Todd Jealous, president of the N.A.A.C.P. “We stand with Trayvon’s family and we are called to act. We will pursue civil rights charges with the Department of Justice, we will continue to fight for the removal of Stand Your Ground laws in every state and we will not rest until racial profiling in all its form is outlawed.”

In July 2013, George Zimmerman, a self-proclaimed Florida neighborhood watchman and self-proclaimed vigilante, was acquitted in the death of Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old black teenager. This was the initial impetus for the Black Lives Matter movement, which first appeared as a hashtag after Zimmerman’s acquittal. The movement, which has its roots in social media, has since grown to hold a much larger place in our national conscience. The movement’s place was solidified with its vocal responses subsequent deaths of black men and women in the US, including Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Sandra Bland in Hempstead, Texas, and Eric Garner on Staten Island. The movement’s presence has become ever present in American life, remaining an ostensibly perpetual presence on Twitter, Facebook, as well as within cable news and manifesting in frequent actual demonstrations. Black Lives Matter is not necessarily a coordinated movement, but rather a seemingly organically occurring response to normalized violence and racism directed towards black Americans. The movement has reflected this decentralized nature by incorporating a variety of protest tactics. These have sometimes deviated from non-violence, a tendency the Reverend John Richard Bryant ascribes to a deep frustration with continued violence maintained against blacks. Indeed, the goals of the movement can be as varied as its tactics. They range from addressing police brutality towards blacks, addressing the underlying

“Black Lives Matter” —an intended progression in society without a hierarchy, merely marching forward by spur of the people. Started by three sisters who continue to keep the organization a chapter-based, left wing social justice operation, it can best be described as “Not a moment, but a movement” by those that follow it. The case that began this outcry involved a man —George Zimmerman— whom, according to Lizette Alvarez and Cara Buckley (2013), “was found not guilty [of] second-degree murder [and] was also acquitted of manslaughter, a lesser charge.” (para. 1). Since its initial start in 2013, the movement follows and protests against police brutality and civil injustice towards individuals of the Black minority; however, this is a prime example of hate breeding hate as the movement, has opened a new floodgate full of antipathy aimed towards the White-community and Law Enforcement Officials. In short, the initial idea of “Black Lives Matter” —which is to bring civil justice to the Black-community— is a good concept, but the execution by its adherents are, ironically, bigoted; the movement needs to either evolve its state of thought or disperse before it further segregates America.

Originating in 2012, the political movement known under the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter has exploded in size and renown. This movement, which was initially inspired after a police officer was acquitted of all charges after fatally shooting an African American individual, seeks to diminish police brutality against African American individuals and systemic racism particularly in the United States. Sweeping the nation, Black Lives Matter has become an international movement and its influence has only increased with time. On the movement’s official website, the following was written regarding the history of the hashtag-inspired entourage, “#BlackLivesMatter was created in 2012 after Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, and dead 17-year old Trayvon was posthumously placed on trial for his own murder. Rooted in the experiences of Black people in this country who actively resist our dehumanization, #BlackLivesMatter is a call to action and a response to the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society. Black Lives Matter is a unique contribution that goes beyond extrajudicial killings of Black people by police and vigilantes.” (http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/). The #BlackLivesMatter movement asserts that racism is still prevalent in modern society and exists not only in passive forms. Instead, racism apparently can be both overt and implicit.

In today’s society, people of color are afraid of the police, and this is the people that are supposed to protect us. Police brutality is a big thing according to data 50 % brutal killings from cops are blacks and 20% white. The longest a cop got for killing a black

In summation, we looked at social conflict as it related to class, race and ethnicity, gender, and how it explains the Black Lives Matter Movement. As we examined the literature, we asked how and why did the Black Lives Matter Movement begin? What are the problems with the Black Lives Matter Movement? What does social media have to say about the Black Lives Matter Movement? What is the youth’s culture’s input on the Black Lives Matter Movement? How does the Black Lives Matter movement tie back to the police? And where are we going with the Black Lives Matter Movement post-2016? We focused on whether or not the Black Lives Matter movement had the potential to affect change and have a long-lasting impact on society as a social movement. Therefore,