The struggle for equality

The struggle for equality

Hello, my name is Malik Anderson and my topic for this paper will be on the successes, failures, and conflicts of the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement is one of the most important starting points in our history that have created the foundation of what we are still aiming to achieve everywhere today: equality for all. Whether it be the wage gap that is still relevant, social class, gender, etc., the ideal of perfect equality is still very far out of reach. I would like to delve into why this is still such an epidemic and possibly aim for a solution as well as explain the effects the Civil Rights Movement had on society back then and now. Let us first look at the sources that support the Civil Rights Movement for what it did.

It was a time of racial bigotry, bloodshed, and resentment towards those of the African American community after the first Civil War. White supremacy was practiced everywhere, especially in the south and those of the black community were not treated equally whatsoever. Examples being a lack in education given, treated like trash for their skin color or for being different, loss of voting rights, etc. After a while, it seemed as though hope was lost for all black folk. But it was not until court cases and silent protests were utilized by the community of blacks and concerned whites that it was known to some of the country that segregation and racism are a serious problem. According to eNotes, “When they witnessed the violence with their own eyes on television, such as with the Selma March, this spurred many whites into demanding change along with the African-Americans who demanded change” (eNotes).

In the light of the situation back then, it was safe to assume that some whites felt awful for what was happening to the black community and wanted to step in to help anywhere they could. With all the silent protests like the Selma March and the Rosa Parks bus boycott and amount of rights the black community had stripped away from them, media attention was not hard to find. Consequently, some people back then believed that the Civil Rights Movement didn’t really make the daily lives of those affected any better. According to Santoro who took more of a neutral ground about on the debate about CRM’s success, he says that “The system may have opened up, but to only a token few who already enjoyed a degree of privilege” (Santaro). In hindsight, yes this was technically true as the CRM was clearly that of a very long-term goal with a finish line far out of sight. Years later, we come to serious court cases that affected the CRM extremely. Examples like Plessy v Ferguson of 1896 which enhanced segregation, stated “separate but equal” was acceptable everywhere, and was the catalyst for the Jim Crow laws and Brown v Board of Education of 1954 which abolished said laws that made were many years prior and allowed for much better schooling for blacks. According to History.com, “Brown v. Board of Education was one of the cornerstones of the civil rights movement and helped establish the precedent that “separate-but-equal” education and other services were not, in fact, equal at al.” (History.com). As it was one of the main boosters towards the CRM, this court case started fueled fight against segregation years later with Rosa Parks’ bus boycott and MLK’s speech at the White House. So, without this court case, who knows if those two highly influential events would have even happened. It’s not until we come to 1964 when the Civil Rights Act is placed into effect which stopped all forms of discrimination everywhere based on race, gender, ethnicity, etc. But just like how the South was with the Brown court case, discrimination towards blacks certainly didn’t just up and vanish when this act was enacted. According to History.com, “Though the struggle against racism would continue, legal segregation had been brought to its knees in the United States” (History.com). And it’s sad to say that this quote speaks for the fight for equality with the multitude of violent and non-violent protests we have today. According to Jones-Castro and Johns, “Despite the tremendous progress our country has made since 1964, the Civil Rights Act must continue to shape our nation’s definition of and access to equal opportunity” (Jones-Castro & Johns). As I stated that the CRM was foundation for the lives of people of color today, it is a frightening to think of where we would be as a country if all these great and brave activists didn’t stand up and fight for what they believe in. As I’ve shown above, there were many strides and successes in the fight for the CRM. But others have delved more into what was wrong with during the movement and how it failed.

As I’ve stated a substernal amount of the success from the CRM, some people believe that the CRM in turn hurt the country more than helped it. According to Cannon, he states one of the biggest failures was that “Not reaching the lives of urban black people was part failure and part impossibility. We couldn’t export a Southern movement into the North. The attempt tore us apart” (Cannon). Cannon and some other CRM veterans from this source give there multiple POV’s on this topic but Cannon’s resonates with me the most out of all their opinions. It was virtually impossible to try and abolish the laws that were utilized in the south since they were heavy on segregation towards blacks. One person stated that it is essential that we do acknowledge the failure’s that happened with the CRM so that we can better ourselves and find solutions to the problems we still face today. According to Austin, he says “The second reason we need to acknowledge the movement’s failures is to recognize that there is much Civil Rights work still to be done” (Austin). As this quote is highly evident in our country today, I find this quote very factual and understandable. On the other side, others delved have delved into certain conflicts that were in play during the CRM. Prime examples of this being the Plessey V. Ferguson court case and the invention of the Jim Crow laws. According to Ferris State University who has a museum dedicated to showing young minds what effects this court case and laws had on those of the past, “Even though the Supreme Court had ruled in favor of these separate areas as long as they were equal, it is evident that true equality was never an objective or goal within the South” (FSU). Just the phrase alone doesn’t even sound right coming your tongue and it’s clear that no one liked that laws excepted the one’s enforcing and utilizing them. Sometime after, certain laws known as Jim Crow laws were fueled, enacted, and utilized in the South thanks to the Plessy court case. According to Hansan based on the Jim Crow laws, “In reality, Jim Crow laws led to treatment and accommodations that were almost always inferior to those provided to white Americans” (Hansan). Sad to say this quote speaks the truth as well as the laws certainly did keep the disparities between black and whites in check with white supremacy being a factor. To compare the successes, failures, and conflicts of the CRM might seem easier to some than others what with the backstory that I have provided. But in hindsight it all depends on what we do with this info of such a sad or uplifting milestone in our country’s history instead of as a crutch.

According to the chart provided about that type of change my movement is, I would certainly say the CRM was a revolutionary social movement. When people here revolutionary, I assume they think of war, death, bloodshed, anarchy, etc. But on the contrary for the CRM, it was much more a peaceful revolutionary social movement, what with all the peaceful protests walks and strikes the black community delved in to show that they are people and not slaves. The CRM was also very innovative in its form of change as they wanted to change the view of how the black community was seen by the white supremacy and show that why are worth more than being treated like garbage daily. On the topic on Anthony Giddens’ four areas, I would say the CRM was practically for peace above the other three. The main civil rights activists like Rosa Parks and MLK at the end of the day in their own respective ways both had a dream for there to be peace and racial equality for everyone and it’s hard to respect them fully for the sacrifices they put forth in doing so. Personally, this movement literally defines me. As I stated before, the thought of wondering where this country would be now if all these brave and wonderful activists did not stand up against white tyranny for the betterment of the black community for generations to come is very unnerving to think about. I just hope that all of America can one day fully appreciate what these activists have done for us and not take their sacrifices for granted.

In conclusion, I believe I have explained to the best of my knowledge some of the main

successes, failures, and conflicts the CRM has accomplished and sadly had to endure to get where we are today. The question to ask is has it all been worth it? Are we truly better than we were back then? Or are we aiming to become what our past once was? I honestly pray that neither of these questions are answered anytime soon until we can fix what has been broken for generations. The choice is ours as a country to decide what is best for us as a whole and not just the individual.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Anderson, P., Booth, H. T., Cannon, T., Hartford, B., Kaimowitz, G., Mandle, J., … Wiley, J.

(n.d.). What were the failures of the Civil Right Movement? Retrieved November 6, 2019, from https://www.crmvet.org/faq/faqfail.htm.

 

Austin, A. (2017, December 7). It’s Time to Stop Whitewashing Civil Rights History. Retrieved

November 6, 2019, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/its-time-to-stop-whitewas_b_9158710.

 

eNotes Editorial. (2016, January 8). “In what ways did the civil rights movement succeed and

what made those successes possible?”. Retrieved from https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/in-what-ways-did-the-civil-rights-movement-593056.

 

Ferris State University. (n.d.). Plessy vs. Ferguson: Separate Isn’t Equal. Retrieved November 6,

2019, from https://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/links/misclink/plessy.htm.

 

Hansan, J.E. (2011). Jim Crow laws and racial segregation. Social Welfare History

Project. Retrieved November 6, 2019 from http://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/eras/civil-war-reconstruction/jim-crow-laws-andracial-segregation/

 

History.com. (2010, January 4). Civil Rights Act of 1964. Retrieved November 6, 2019, from https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-act#section_4.

 

History.com. (2009, October 27). Brown v. Board of Education. Retrieved November 6, 2019, from https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/brown-v-board-of-education-of-topeka.

 

Jones-Castro, A., & Johns, D. J. (2016, July 20). 5 Reasons the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Is Just as Relevant Today. Retrieved November 6, 2019, from https://educationpost.org/5-reasons-the-civil-rights-act-of-1964-is-just-as-relevant-today/.

 

Santoro, W. A. (2015). “Was the Civil Rights Movement Successful? Tracking and

Understanding Black Views.” Sociological Forum, 30, 627–647. From https://doi.org/10.1111/socf.12181