The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s was the beginning of a long and difficult battle to understand the challenges throughout history to remove racism and improve economic conditions of African Americans. To continue progress for the future, it is important to research and understand why the Movement began, how history played a role with both set-backs and victories in the following decades and how society can take action to become truly multi-cultural and multi-racial. After reading the article, The Long Civil Rights Movement and the Political Uses of the Past by Jacquelyn Down Hall, I agree that the beginning of life after the movement began was difficult for African American families, the political policies created to help the movement
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She states that these policies back fired and the New Deal reform built racial and gender inequalities. In addition, many other policies were passed which did not sit well for the African American communities. “Only days after LBJ signed the Voting Rights Act, looting and burning began in the black neighborhood of Los Angeles known as Watts. Other urban riots followed. Other urban riots followed. These outbreaks exposed the rage of blacks outside the South.”>1 Many political movements triggered unrest and even outrage. Whites during this time feared black neighborhoods which forced them to sell cheap to get out. Companies and factories also moved to the suburbs. These policies were not seen as progress in the struggling African American communities. “But the new legislation was not a solution to the problems people had been organizing against for many years.” >7 To some, this was a huge step back for the movement and a change that took decades to recover …show more content…
The Civil Rights Movement was the beginning of much needed change in society. It has accomplished a tremendous amount over the past several decades from victory to defeat. However, there is still a long way to go to create a multi-racial society. It is critical to fully understand the stories behind the civil rights movement, the history of black culture and the reasons for many of the past and current set-backs to be able to continue the movement to a peaceful society. Society must also work to think about the effects of the past and work together to create a better future. “In order to understand white supremacy we must dismiss the fallacious notion that white people give anybody their freedom. No man can give anybody his freedom. A man is born free.”>4 This shows the importance that understanding what happen during these decades is more than society portrays it as. “In the 2000s, rates of poverty and unemployment among African Americans remains roughly twice as high as those of whites. For a variety of reasons, including relatively low levels of access to health care, the longevity of African Americans is less than that of whites. Black median income is approximately 70 percent of white income”. >2 Its clear that this movement is still an ongoing battle and such problems still exist today. As Dowd Hall states in her article, It’s up to us as
She states that these policies back fired and the New Deal reform built racial and gender inequalities. In addition, many other policies were passed which did not sit well for the African American communities. “Only days after LBJ signed the Voting Rights Act, looting and burning began in the black neighborhood of Los Angeles known as Watts. Other urban riots followed. Other urban riots followed. These outbreaks exposed the rage of blacks outside the South.”>1 Many political movements triggered unrest and even outrage. Whites during this time feared black neighborhoods which forced them to sell cheap to get out. Companies and factories also moved to the suburbs. These policies were not seen as progress in the struggling African American communities. “But the new legislation was not a solution to the problems people had been organizing against for many years.” >7 To some, this was a huge step back for the movement and a change that took decades to recover …show more content…
The Civil Rights Movement was the beginning of much needed change in society. It has accomplished a tremendous amount over the past several decades from victory to defeat. However, there is still a long way to go to create a multi-racial society. It is critical to fully understand the stories behind the civil rights movement, the history of black culture and the reasons for many of the past and current set-backs to be able to continue the movement to a peaceful society. Society must also work to think about the effects of the past and work together to create a better future. “In order to understand white supremacy we must dismiss the fallacious notion that white people give anybody their freedom. No man can give anybody his freedom. A man is born free.”>4 This shows the importance that understanding what happen during these decades is more than society portrays it as. “In the 2000s, rates of poverty and unemployment among African Americans remains roughly twice as high as those of whites. For a variety of reasons, including relatively low levels of access to health care, the longevity of African Americans is less than that of whites. Black median income is approximately 70 percent of white income”. >2 Its clear that this movement is still an ongoing battle and such problems still exist today. As Dowd Hall states in her article, It’s up to us as