Philando Castille- that name brings
back the memories of the horror many Americans felt when they heard the tragic
news of his death. Brutally, he was slain by a police officer, yet he had done
nothing incriminating. He was an outstanding citizen. His death had been
brought to the forefront of our national debate on race by his girlfriend live
streaming his murder. Even though there was a child present, even though he
followed the law, even though he made the officer aware of his legally owned
firearm, he still was killed. That is a powerful testament to the treatment of
African-Americans in today's’ American society. Despite the fact that American
society has changed its perspective on race, there is still a long,
complicated, and treacherous road ahead. The fact is race, racism, and the
value of black lives must be discussed in society. Just like during the civil
rights movement, the media is bringing the issue of the value of black lives to
the forefront. The similarity between the civil rights movement and the black
lives matter movement is uncanny. This simple yet profound observation should
definitely color a person’s perspective on the black lives matter movement and
the action that should be taken regarding it.
In the
south during the 1960’s and prior decades, signs stating coloreds only or
whites only were a prevalent feature that decorated the landscape. The signs of
this moral degradation of society were apparent to everyone. Racism,
discrimination, and hate had been woven into the fabric of society. It is
similar in this day and age, while the signs are not as apparent as they were
in the south. Society as a whole has gotten much better but there are still
remnants of the systematic oppression and some of it has altered in practice.
Examples of this current systemic racism are mass incarceration, discrimination
based on having a “black” sounding name, and police brutality. A recent 2015
study showed that there was a bias against traditionally “black” sounding names
according to Howard from the Huffington Post. African-Americans with the
similar backgrounds as their white counterparts are still more likely to be
unemployed as stated by White from The Atlantic. Even children are not exempt
from this systemic oppression, as mentioned in the article “Black Preschoolers Far More Likely
To Be Suspended”, African-American Preschoolers are 18% more likely to be
suspended. These statistics show racism is still very much a systemic
problem that is being addressed by the Black lives matter movement much as it
was addressed by the civil rights movement.
The reality is that apathy is
rampant in society, while now people may champion the civil right era. Most people did little to nothing to add in
the process of change. As Martin Luther King Jr. once proclaimed, “History will have to record that
the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident
clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.” Apathy
had seeped in like a widespread disease, such as it is with the majority of the
population now. According to the Pew Center, only 18% of Americans strongly
support black lives matter. Though most
American supported the Civil Rights movement, only 19 % were actually willing
to participate or support vigorous enforcement of new laws from the 1964 poll
done by Opinion Research Incorporated show in Kohut’s article. This passive
view causes there only to be a few movers and shakers, making change a longer
road. If more people traded in their apathy for a desire for radical change,
things in this nation could be reformed very rapidly.
Like
during the Civil Rights movement, many people disagree and do not support the
black lives matter movement. This is expected due to the fact that the black
lives matter movement is the new civil rights movement. Fighting to make sure
that people of all colors have equal rights, not simply theoretically, but
practically played out in the society in which we live. The main counter
argument to the anthem that the black lives matter movement is singing is all lives
matter. Disregarding context, this is a very true statement. The postulate with
the black lives matter campaign is that of course all lives matter, but society
is particularly overlooking black lives in each area: economically, socially,
politically, and judicially. That is why
the statement black lives matter speaks volumes. Those three little words say a
lot about United States as a society. This simple statement has come across much
disagreement. That is
appalling.
The
cause is urgent. The time is now. The campaign to say black lives matter is
ready. The similarities between the civil rights movement and black lives
matter are increasingly apparent as time goes on. The fact is the ability to
see the similarities in situations become more apparent as time progresses.
Currently, the similarities can be seen in three aspects apathy, urgency,
opposition, and systemic oppression. It can be said that Martin Luther King Jr.
is one of the most renowned civil rights leaders. One could wonder what he
would think of recent events and the Black lives matter campaign. To use Dr.
King’s own words, “They are now committed back to that eternity from which they
came. And yet they died nobly. They did not die in vain. God still has a way of
wringing good out of evil. And history has proven over and over again that
unmerited suffering is redemptive. We must not become bitter, nor must we
harbor the desire to retaliate with violence. No, we must not lose faith in our
white brothers. Somehow we must believe that the most misguided among them can
learn to respect the dignity and the worth of all human personality.” This
quote thoroughly illustrates the problem and action that must be taken today.
It applies directly to the new civil rights movement, Black lives matter. That
simple statement has started the fire that won’t easily burn out until justice
rings true for all, because black lives do matter. People should support that.
Bibliography
"Black Preschoolers Far More Likely To Be
Suspended." NPR. NPR, 21 Mar.
2014. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.
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Horowitz, Juliana Menasce, and Gretchen Livingston.
"How Americans View the Black Lives Matter Movement." Pew Research Center RSS. Pew Research
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Howard, Jacqueline. "New Study Confirms Depressing
Truth About Names And Racial Bias." The
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Kohut, Andrew. "Despite Mixed Views on Civil Rights in
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