Moments in Black History: Impacts of Black Social Justice Movements

Pierce Sims

story by Yvette H. Pierce, Professor Emerita/FMU & Steven C. Sims, Access Services Librarian, Associate Professor/FMU

Once again, it is time to take a ‘moment’ to celebrate Black History Month; and certainly, as this is a celebratory time, it is also an opportunity to bring awareness and even allow for one’s own reflections as they pertain to the African/African American diaspora. For these writers, this month is not only one for reflecting, but additionally, it is a time to review, more comprehensively, moments in our history that were instrumental in the shaping of our place in America. From its founding, America’s history has been one of turbulency – fights for freedom, equality, opposition to oppression, and justice. No one group of people has endured more oppression, inequities, and injustices than have Black Americans, beginning with slavery and up until this present time. Eventually, many Blacks became tired and disillusioned by the harshness of societal conditions that were being inflicted upon them, and thus, the beginning of protests that later evolved into social movements. In 1926, Langston Hughes expressed much of this discouragement in his poem, I, Too, Sing America, because a people who helped to build this country were being denied equal opportunities, were being mistreated, and were being disenfranchised. Social movements in this country began many decades ago and were necessary to ensure that all people, especially people of color, were treated with dignity, equality, justice, and were not deprived of any of their rights. Social movements have been defined as …large, often informal groupings of people who come together against power holders around a common cause, in response to situations of perceived inequality, oppression and/or unmet social, political, economic or cultural demands (Menocal, 2016). This definition is not altogether accurate because the demands of Black America were and still are real, and not perceived. The proliferation of some of the ‘causes’ that were fought during the 1950’s and the 1960’s, and the outcomes, attest to the changes that were needed to make our country a better place to live for all of its citizens. (1) The group of Black students that became known as the Little Rock Nine. These students organized in 1957 to test the strength and enforcement of a major 1954 Supreme Court ruling, Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka; a landmark decision that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

To itemize a few such causes, we begin with the following four....

Little Rock Nine

(2) The Civil Rights Act of 1957 that allowed for the federal prosecution of anyone who tried to prevent persons from voting.

Civil Rights Act of 1957

The March on Washington

(3) The March on Washington in 1963 that was organized by A. Phillip Randolph and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) for better jobs, social justice, and freedom from all kinds of oppression. This is when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his infamous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Bloody Sunday

(4) What became known as Bloody Sunday occurred in the spring of 1965. The protest was organized again by the SCLC and the Student NonViolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) who were demanding voting rights, especially in Alabama and other states in the deep South. These four movements have been highlighted because of their significance in bringing about needed changes in America, and they are indicative of struggles that are still occurring today. Consequently, America must deal with the reality that all people, regardless of ethnicity, backgrounds, or cultural differences must be able to fully embrace freedom, justice, and opportunities to live productive lives without any form of fear, discrimination, or retaliation. If not, the emergence of organizations such as Black Lives Matter, now deemed a movement, as well as being a hashtag born out of the collective cry for Trayvon Martin in 2013 and re-ignited in 2021 after the killing of George Floyd and other innocent brothers and sisters, will continue to exist and thrive. In our democratic society, no one group of people should consider itself to be more superior or invaluable than another. We too, are America.

Menocal, A. R. (2016). Social movements. GSDRC Professional Development Reading Pack no. 50. Birmingham, UK: University of Birmingham. https://gsdrc.org/professional-dev/social-movements/

UPCOMING CULTURAL CONVERSATIONS

Tuesday, February 22 Hair Like Mine with Dr. Shayna Wrighten

Thursday, March 10 Dr. Christopher P. Barton, Assistant Professor of History, FMU

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