Prudy Whalen

SOC 230-06
Professor Dao
Reflection #2

October 13, 2016

The social movement organization that I have chosen to write about is the
Black Lives Matter Movement. This movement stemmed from the systematic
injustices and instances of police brutality that black and brown bodies have been
increasingly facing over the past few years. This movement shows itself in many
forms. There have been highly publicized demonstrations all over the country. These
demonstrations generally happen after an unarmed black or brown body is unjustly
killed by the police. They consist of people intending to peacefully march in the
streets. Much like the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, these protests are
interrupted by the police and begin to turn violent. In cities like Ferguson, Missouri
and Charlotte, North Carolina, states of emergency were declared because of all the
turmoil and danger that the people of these cities were experiencing.
Much like the SCLC, the Black Lives Matter movement is geared toward
liberating African-Americans from systematic racism. Those that engage in this
movement support non-violence and civil disobedience, much like the civil rights
movement of the past did. One main difference between the current movement and
the SCLC is that there is no set leader. The SCLC, arguably, is a more organized
organization in that they have a President and a headquarters location. The Black
Lives Matter movement is more casual in the sense that there is no set location
where people can go to meet the so-called higher-ups within the movement. Cities
across the country may have their own leaders, but, again, there is no headquarters
location of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Again, like the SCLC, there were many features of urbanization that lead to
the development and creation of this movement. In fact, many of them are the
same features. When African-Americans moved during the Great Migration from the
south into the north, the majority of them moved into cities. Within these cities,
although segregation was illegal, neighborhoods and communities were still divided
based on physical appearance. This, among other things, has resulted in the system
that we live in today where many people of color do not feel safe within their own
communities. These injustices, much like those that led to the development of the
SCLC, are what sparked the Black Lives Matter movement to become a movement.
Something that the Black Lives Matter Movement does not have in common
with the SCLC is the lessoning of terror that we tried to discuss in class. We never
really unpacked it that far, but from what I understood, there was a lessening of the
fear of those who were different. This led to an opening where the SCLC felt as
though they could get their message across without feeling attacked or like their
voices would not be heard. This is not something that I think is present in todays
movement. The Black Lives Matter movement has gotten (for some) a bad
reputation. Many of the protests have become violent, and a lot of the civil unrest
that protestors create has caused a lot have backlash from those who are not in the
black community. A lot of people are unwilling to listen. However, the Black Lives
Matter movement, while highly publicized, is a relatively young (about three years, I
believe) movement. The Civil Rights Movement took about fifteen years to achieve
its goal. I think that, with time, the Black Lives Matter Movement will become just as
historically important as the Civil Rights Movement and the social movement
organization of the SCLC. Over time, I think that there will be a lessening of fear
surrounding the movement and people will be more willing to listen.